


Experiments in Building a Relationship

by TheLoneliestofAll



Category: RWBY
Genre: Awkward Romance, F/M, Friendship, Romance, Sexual Experimentation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:55:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24566515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLoneliestofAll/pseuds/TheLoneliestofAll
Summary: A somewhat embarrassing situation gives rise to experimentation between two awkward, yet eager teens. Blindly following their instincts through large leaps of faith, they stumble into a relationship. / Four moments that brought Jaune and Ruby closer together through intimacy.
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Ruby Rose
Comments: 2
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

Ruby breathed out a sigh of relief, sweat dripping out of every pore as she attempted to find a reason to keep on living through the pain.

Her Aura had been completely drained, her legs weak and wobbly. Perhaps training until she was vulnerable wasn’t the brightest idea, but it lit a fire inside of her that always made her feel amazing after a quick rest. The pain was worth it; momentary punishment for a reward worth a thousand years of such torment.

It was the greatest feeling she had ever experienced, though in her relatively short life that wasn’t that surprising.

She wouldn’t admit that one of the reasons she had gone so hard, though, was who specifically she was training _with_ this time around.

Her eyes shifted, her grip on her stockings faltering.

Normally, she wasn't so shy about it. They were just stockings, it wasn't like she was taking off anything he hadn't seen before. 

She sent him a quick glance, her eyes moving rapidly from his face to his chest, blushing ever so slightly.

"Okay… Focus, Ruby." she whispered to herself, giving a small, awkward chuckle that Jaune was too far away to hear.

Jaune rested his back against the cold locker, feeling instant relief from his body heat which he was pretty sure exceeded natural levels at the moment.

Chugging from his water bottle, he found his eyes drifting to Ruby as she pulled her legs free of her tights. He quickly averted his eyes, knowing that the chance of catching a glimpse up her skirt was a bit too high for his liking.

He may have been a man, but he was not a crook. Or a pervert. Well, at the very least he wasn't a pervert beyond acceptable societal measures.

They were still in their school uniforms, having had no real urgency to change out of them just for a bout of sparring. Jackets and vests, however, were just insanely hot in general when one works up a sweat.

Jaune had immediately tore his off as if the offending articles were some kind of leeches, sapping his life force away every second that they were on. The dress shirt underneath was soaked and clung to his skin. Still, he kept it on purely because he was a little self conscious.

Pyrrha may have helped lessen the severity of such issues, but he felt that it was still a good many years away before he would be free of that shadow. The one thing he couldn't help, though, was that his chest was very clearly visible through the now transparent fabric.

Curse you, the color white!

That may have been the reason that Ruby kept hers on. After all, they were comfortable around one another despite their awkward nature, but that was one thing that neither of them wanted to face.

Ruby's legs were finally free, and she rested her bare feet against the cool floor and let out a sigh of contentment. Soon, when her muscles stopped aching, she would feel euphoria beyond measure. She would be floating in satisfaction, calm and free of any worry, knowing that sleep would come easy.

Jaune, on the other hand, was in hell.

Working their bodies to their limits clearly had two profoundly different effects on the two teens, and Jaune envied Ruby for this.

His hands found purchase on the floor and he pushed himself up off the ground, making his way to sit beside her on the bench she sat upon.

"Remind me to never do this again," he said, laughing at his own half-joke half-complaint and setting his water bottle down by his feet.

He knew that it was important to work hard and train like your life depended on it. Because… well, it did. His dream, it required him to constantly improve and push past the limits his body set for him. This was all just a part of the game. Didn't mean he _couldn't_ hate it, though.

"You've gotten better, Jaune. Much better. I mean, you're still not close to _beating_ me but…" Ruby leaned in towards him, her joking tone only slightly revealing that she was teasing. Jaune pushed her lightly, making her giggle. "You know I'm only teasing. You'll get there someday! Maybe even sooner than you think with the way you're progressing! I'm uh… hehe... I'm super proud of you. I know the others are too."

"Thanks, Ruby… it really means a lot to hear that. Especially from you." Jaune resisted the urge to move in for a hug. He doubted either of them wanted any sort of close physical contact right now. "I just… have trouble with countering moves as insane as yours."

"Wellllll, I do kind of have a weapon that works well against a simple sword and shield combo. My semblance doesn't really help either. I guess we're not exactly the best matchup in terms of fairness, but… isn't that why you always ask me to fight you instead of someone like Weiss or Blake?" Ruby stared down at her legs in thought, kicking them back and forth just slightly above the ground.

"Yyyyyeahhhh, that's more or less why," Jaune said with just a tinge of nervousness to his voice. He was looking anywhere but at her, fiddling slightly with his fingers. "It just makes sense. I mean not all fights outside of school are going to be fair, right? I should learn how to go against someone in a fight where the odds aren't exactly in my favor."

It was clear to Ruby that that wasn't the whole truth, but she didn't press it. "Yeah that makes sense. Honestly, though," and here her tone of voice changed to be more boastful, "my fighting style is pr-et-ty amazing. I'll be surprised if you can ever get the best of me, Vomit Boy." She smirked, snickering at the faux offense he turned to show.

Jaune rolled his eyes, but he smiled afterwards. He held his own against her, the two of them were incredibly in sync today. Despite his troubles dealing with a fighter of her nature, he surprised himself with what he was capable of. He couldn't wait to show Pyrrha the recording of the match.

"Maybe I can ask your team for some tips. Weiss might have a _wealth_ of insights into your fighting style." Jaune began fanning himself with his hand, opening the collar of his shirt with the other until it was almost halfway unbuttoned.

_"Please…"_ Ruby started before coughing into her hand, not noticing at first just how desperate the words had come out, her eyes slowly moving to devour the sight of his clavicle. "W-Weiss would _never_ betray me like that," she stated matter-of-factly, trying to distract herself from the way he was unknowingly toying with her.

"So you say, Ruby… so you say. But an Arc has his ways." He stood up from the bench, making her sigh in relief. She watched as he opened his locker to grab the change of clothes he prepared. It was only a simple white tee and a pair of jeans, but anything was better than the sweaty torture devices they called their uniforms.

"Anyway," he continued, "I should really get going. We've been training for _hours_ and Nora will be upset if I miss out on team movie night. Or as I like to call it 'watch this movie I picked out or I'll break your legs' night."

"Ah, yeah, that…” Ruby mumbled, slightly disheartened at his sudden need to depart. She knew that it was probably unhealthy to crave his attention and presence as much as she had recently, but there was a greedy part of her that just wanted to spend all of her time with him, and for him to feel the same way. At the very least she could suppress it enough. “Well, I had a good time today, I hope we can do it again soon!”

Jaune smiled, feeling a little fuzzy at her hopeful tone. “Of course, maybe… tomorrow?” He would probably regret that. Aura worked wonders for healing what ailed ya, but working too hard naturally wore a person out mentally. And mental scars and weariness were things Aura couldn't touch.

Ruby nearly jumped for joy at the prospect of hanging out with him all day tomorrow, but she managed to keep it all on the inside. Mentally cheering, she started squirming in her seat. “Absolutely!” But maybe she was showing her excitement a little too much. “I mean, uh, yeah! For sure!” Maybe still a bit too much… “That would be… ahem, that would be cool.”

Smooth, Ruby. Smooth.

Jaune found the display of excitement super adorable, his hand finding itself behind his head in that very tropey way it always did. “Y-yeah, I’ll uh… I’ll see you tomorrow!”

And with that he turned around and left.

Ruby just sighed, but as soon as that sigh left her lips she started wiggling, holding her hands close to her chest.

"Yes!" she cheered quietly to herself, starting to hum a happy little tune as her teeth began to show in a wide smile. It was going to be very hard for anything to ruin her night.

She allowed herself a moment to calm down from the excited energy that coursed through her being, and when finally she felt like any longer in the sticky clothing that was honestly pretty cold now was something she absolutely could not tolerate, she began to take it all off.

Quite a bold move, considering she was still sitting in the middle of the locker room. Perhaps she could have just waited, but her impatience got the best of her. That and her excitement clouded her judgement.

This was not something she would do under normal circumstances, and she became aware of it only through the cool air blowing against her bare chest.

It was almost eight in the evening, no one ever trained past six. Except for her and Jaune of course. This hadn't changed for as long as she had been at Beacon. Thus, she assured herself, this was perfectly fine. There was no reason to be up in arms. The chances of someone walking in on her changing were very little. Nearly nonexistent, actually.

Still, she shivered, and right as she made the move to gather fresh clothes from her locker, one of the worst things she could possibly imagine happened.

She was put in a situation.

"Hey, Rubes, just forgot my water bottle an- OH GODS I'M SO SORRY!" Jaune screamed out, his voice reaching an almost unnaturally high pitch. He covered his eyes immediately, yet his feet made no move to retreat from the area.

Ruby felt the need to scream. Any number of things. 'Get out, what are you doing here, don't look.' All pretty good things to scream out in the moment. But to her credit, she didn't scream. She didn't do anything at all but cover herself up and sit back down on the bench in a small moment of panic.

A few moments passed in silence.

"O-oh. Um…" She blushed, never once taking her widened eyes off of the statue that was once Jaune Arc.

Neither moved a muscle. Jaune, in all of his infinite wisdom, felt that dinosaur rules applied in this scenario. That being that Ruby's sight was based on movement and if he so much as moved a muscle he would suddenly be met with a faceful of scythe. Or dust rounds.

Hopefully it would be gravity dust so that he could float out into space and never see another soul as long as he lived.

Ruby, for her part was… taking it all extremely well, actually. Despite the concerns that stopped her from taking off even her jacket just a small bit ago, it wasn't like she was going to die or anything. Her face, however, was beet red. In fact she had never been more red in her entire life. Which was funny, considering.

"I-I'm just gonna… go…" Jaune mumbled, taking a few steps backward before he slipped on the pile of dirty clothes he had forgotten alongside his water bottle. He fell onto his ass hard enough to noticeably disrupt his Aura, letting out a pained grunt.

"J-Jaune! Are you… are you okay?" Ruby asked with an awkward smile. The worry was unnecessary, unneeded. All he did was fall on his rump. Didn't bump his head or anything. But she still asked. And afterwards she cursed silently at her own stupidity. Of course he was okay.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright," Jaune sighed, opening his eyes so that he didn't make the same mistake trying to stand up. But as soon as his eyes opened he slapped his hand over them again as he caught sight of her trying to keep herself covered, gasping as if he had pricked himself on something.

Ruby may not have felt like it was the end of the world, but as awkward as she was her mood was definitely easily molded by the reactions of others. And Jaune was making her feel very self conscious. If he just would… pretend like everything was normal… this would be a lot easier. Maybe. She pulled her crumpled up clothing even closer to her chest.

"Y-you know, you don't have to keep your eyes covered. I'm not… nothing's… Um..." She mumbled to herself, trying to search for the assurance she wanted to give. But it took a while. Too long of a while.

She was getting frustrated with herself. Her mouth opened and closed as she desperately tried to force something out. Anything. She closed her eyes tightly, and after a brief moment of hesitation, she finally found the right words to say. Something that would undoubtedly defuse the situation.

"I'm covered! So it's fine! Really!"

Okay, that was… not exactly how she wanted to say it. But whatever got the point across, she supposed.

Jaune slowly uncovered his eyes, taking a few moments to steel himself before he stood up, still stiff as a board. He was internally debating the situation, wondering if it was just awkward because he was making it awkward. That could probably be asked regarding his whole life, but he really didn't need that dilemma floating through his head right now too. So he breathed in slowly, and exhaled. 

Then he looked her in the eyes.

She was covered. If he were being honest, he shouldn't have even overreacted. It was just like all the times he had walked in on his sisters, or Pyrrha, or Nora. Family. It wasn't a big deal. _They_ never made it a big deal. _He_ shouldn't have made _this_ a big deal.

But then again, Ruby was… different. Very different.

"I'll go now," he said, this time without stumbling or mumbling. Just very clearly and calmly. But the nervousness returned tenfold the second he turned around and Ruby stood up and-

"Wait!" Yelled very loudly.

She held out her right hand, the left busy preserving her dignity for the time being. She watched as he froze on the spot, clearly just as stiff as he was when this started. 

Nice one, Ruby.

She bit her lip. Honestly she didn't know why she did it. Well, maybe she had a clue. She wasn't so naive.

"Y-yeah?" He turned his head only slightly. Any more movement, he was sure to die from sensory overload.

"H-how… how much did you see when you walked in?" Ruby asked, more out of curiosity than anything. She didn't know why she wanted to know, but something possessed her to ask. Normally, this kind of thing would be asked in a much more demanding tone she was aware but she didn't at all feel enraged at the idea of him seeing her… assets.

Could they be called assets? Yang's could, but… yeah. She supposed they could. It wasn't like they were _Weiss_ levels of small. Not that… not that that was a bad thing because breasts are breasts and… and… yeah.

"I didn't see much, I swear!" He said in his own defense. Never really a good tactic. If it was anyone other than Ruby, they wouldn't have believed him. _l swear_ is always the _best_ thing to say to cap off a truthful statement. "But… I…" He sighed, knowing that being truthful was always the best thing to do in situations like these. Now if it had been Yang instead of Ruby, he would have lied through his teeth. In his defense, two entirely different threat levels. "I really didn't see much. I promise. It was just a flash before I closed my eyes."

Ruby took his words in calmly, thinking them over again and again. He _had_ seen her boobs. But just a little. For some reason, she felt a light, funny feeling pass through her chest at that revelation. It was almost… freeing in a way.

_'Jaune Arc saw my boobs.'_

_'Jaune Arc. Saw. My boobs.'_

Those words just kept passing through her head over and over, different speeds, different tones. Each word left an impression. An impression that was very stubborn and refused to go away.

She felt… happy? No, scratch that. She felt downright _giddy._ Why? Who cares? She held in an excited squeal, trying not to squirm and reveal her inner feelings on the matter. That would be revealing too much. That would be… telling him how she felt just about.

Which would be very bad. Very _very_ bad. For her. _Gods that would be so awkward right now._ Not that she didn't want him to know! Just… maybe not yet.

She did however want to try something.

She was never particularly adventurous with expanding her social life in any meaningful way. She had her family. Her sisters, her brothers, her father… Zwei. That was really all she had wanted. Until a few months back. But Jaune was special to her. She had never made a connection like the one she had with him with _ANYONE_ else. Which was to be expected, what with her inexperience and overall seemingly nonexistent interest in matters that weren't related to her dream.

Things had been different lately, however. She had been thinking of him in ways that confused her. Not because she wasn't knowledgeable about the subject, after all she had been given the talk. She understood plenty. It was an important thing to know about, and she wasn't just some innocent child who would scratch her head at a dirty joke or innuendo. Maybe it would be a little hard for her to catch onto but that was mostly because she didn't have a very dirty mind.

No, she was confused because it seemed so sudden. It had started with one stray thought, as his hand brushed up against hers. She had thought of holding his hand, of pulling him close to her so that she could _feel_ his Aura meld with hers. Then the thoughts just got… dirty. She supposed it was only a matter of time.

She would find herself red and panting lightly as she thought about such distracting things. His body, which had _definitely_ benefited from his training routine, and… and she imagined him kissing her, so close, holding her into a wall, asserting dominance which she wasn't even sure he had in real life with his hand to her side, sliding up and up and then grabbing at her-

_Gods. She was hopeless._

The first time she had been caught staring at him in class, with red face and eyes clouded as she explored her new fantasies, she had been reprimanded by Weiss. A slap on the wrist, a pile of study material she was all but _forced_ to work through. Weiss hadn't really caught on but Blake and Yang stared at her like they knew quite well what kind of things were going through her head.

Maybe she was just a late bloomer. Maybe her hormones had finally caught up to her. Or maybe it was just _Jaune._

Still, as non-adventurous as she was… She wanted change. She wanted to experience… certain things. And the only way to do so was to take initiative. Because everyone knew that if they were going to become a thing, whether that thing be… a serious thing or a thing that… was just… a thing. It wouldn't be Jaune who started it.

She would give him all his due credit, but she still knew him. And at heart she knew he would never take the next step without her making it clear that it was what she wanted.

So she took the next step.

"D-do you wanna?" Ruby asked him, holding back a crack in her voice like a pro. It took him awhile but he turned to meet her gaze with wide eyes and a mouth open in disbelief.

Oh yeah. That happened.

"W-what-" he stuttered out, taken aback by her words. She really hoped that she didn't cross a line too soon.

"You said you didn't really see much. Do... you want to see more? O-of them? My uh… y-ya know." Her voice faltered slightly, her stomach twisting into knots and her heart doing some major intense cardio.

She was surprising herself, really. She had slain a countless number of Grimm. Beowolves? Pshhhh, easy. Ursa? Please. Nevermore? Maybe a little harder but nothing she couldn't handle with her team by her side.

But honestly, she'd have thought that this would be a million times more difficult. She was the _worst_ at social interaction. There were times where she would even stumble over herself in front of her close friends. There were times where she wouldn't know what to say to certain things, or she would say the wrong things and embarrass herself… Heck, she constantly felt the need to dip out and be alone for a while with Crescent Rose. Just her and her baby.

But she was totally cool. If not just a little on edge. The simple thought of doing this though… of saying these things… Things that were just so… _scandalous. Lewd. Dirty. Smutty! Indecorous (thanks Weiss)! Salacious. Obscene…_ filthy… uh… indelicate? Words.

She shivered. It was just so different from anything she would be expected to do. But she had already done it. The words were out there, and it was in Jaune's court now.

Jaune was in awe. If shock could be described as awe. He was still staring right into her eyes, and with each passing second she was made to wish that she hadn't have said anything at all. She didn't want to ruin what they had over stupid feelings and… and _lust._ If that was even the right word. 

She was, thankfully, pleasantly surprised. The shock dissipated, and he was less stiff by the time he managed to clear his throat. Perhaps he was trying to match her bravado, but he definitely, at least outwardly, appeared more calm and in control of his emotions. On the inside she bet he was just all over the place.

He moved to sit by her, taking the space he occupied not too long ago. He started looking everywhere he could that wasn't directly at her. That seemed to be a common thing. She was hoping it meant what she wanted it to mean.

"Ruby, I… A-are you sure?" was all that he asked. She felt her heart skip a beat. He just… he just wanted to make sure she was…

Internally, Ruby's emotions flared. Why did he have to be so… so… _dumb and stupid and cute and lovely and stupid and dumb! Ugh!_

She wanted to scream that of course she was sure. She wouldn't have offered if that wasn't the case. But she knew he was just being a friend. She smiled, looking him in the eye as he finally turned to look at her.

"Yes. I'm sure," she said softly. His eyes travelled from hers down to her smile, but not daring to go lower than that. "You just have to ask me. That's all I'm asking. I want… to hear you say it."

Jaune looked down at his hands, both suddenly locked together tightly as he hunched over on the bench. ' _There was always something,'_ he thought, laughing to himself. She wanted to hear him ask. Sure that was a simple idea, but actually finding the courage to ask… _not_ so simple.

It was obvious to both of them that it was happening. He hadn't declined, he had taken a seat beside her. If he didn't want to see he would have left. If she really didn't want him to see them, she would have withdrawn the offer by now.

But she had thrown the ball in his park. He was up to bat, he could either choose to not swing and strike, or swing and get a home run; Arcs were not raised as fools.

He had heard Saphron's stories about her hijinks with Terra. He had put up with all the information that he had not asked for in the slightest. He understood now exactly what point she was trying to get across.

They were not just borderline lewd stories told to him in confidence. They were her _advice_ to him. Advice that was probably ten times better than anything his father could give. Confidence played a role, sure, but… 

She and Terra were married now, they were happy. All because she had seized the opportunity when it was given to her. Whether this little bit of intimacy would lead to anything other than just a slightly more… ahem, _sexual_ relationship with Ruby… or something else… he would never know unless he took the plunge. Just like his sister.

And maybe… he needed this.

"Ruby," he started, freezing after only saying her name. He fought with himself to unfreeze. "Ruby…" But it seemed like all he could do was say her name. "Ruby." He winced at his own sorry display of what he interpreted as patheticness.

"Jaune." She smirked, her blush dying down a little at the awkward energy he was throwing out into the world. She tried to hold in a chuckle as he clearly struggled to try his best.

"Ugh. I… Ruby." He really wished he could strangle himself.

Ruby couldn't hold in a laugh. One that she received a glare for. "I'm sorry," she said, her giggle fit subsiding. "I'm sorry. I know you're trying, it's just… honestly really cute… heh…"

Jaune fought back a smile as he looked away. The smile quickly faded, however, replaced with just a little bit more determination. As silly, and as childish as this whole thing was… He felt it could be an important step in their friendship. A friendship which could potentially turn into something else, but… only through blind leaps of trust and experimentation. And this was one such blind leap.

He took a deep breath and exhaled out all of his inner turmoil. He wanted something special with this girl, he just had to admit it to her.

"Ruby Rose. I want to see your breasts… will you show me?" His tone was entirely too serious for this. Ruby let out a snort-laugh. He wondered why on earth he had thought that tone was a good idea. He turned away as Ruby continued to laugh at his expense, crossing his arms while he rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, sorry," Ruby said through her laughter, her face red for an entirely different reason now. "Ahem, n-no, sorry. Really. I just… haha, yeah. Just had to get that out. I…" She bit her lip. "I know that's what I asked for, I just, eh, expected something a little less serious. I honestly half expected you to make a joke out of it or something." She started to squirm again. There was yet another beat of silence. They were _really_ trying to delay this weren't they? "Okay! Okay. That's… okay. Jaune. Here…"

Ruby sat up straight, staring down at her bare legs for just a moment before steeling herself to just… rip the bandage off. It was never that bad afterwards, she just had to brave the initial sting. And she did so, quite admirably for someone of her… social ineptitude.

She pulled the crumpled up clothing away from her chest, feeling the air hit her immediately and causing a stray shiver to run through her spine.

Jaune was only staring at her face at first, watching with rapt attention as she bravely did away with the barrier that they had been trying for the past several moments to break down. Her face seemed to just grow more and more red. Her ears were practically on fire. She was so pale, it was honestly really easy to tell.

Finally, Jaune's eyes dipped below her shoulders.

Ruby was pushing her chest out. Giving his eyes full access to stare as much as he wanted. He hadn't imagined that his day would end like this, and how could he? But he was glad it _was._

His eyes traced every inch of her exposed flesh, all the way from her adorable face to the skirt she still wore. There were many stand out features of the top half of her body that he found he really liked looking at.

Obviously, her breasts. They were perfect. Her belly too. Toned, and very firm. But it still looked delightfully squishy in all the right places, and he couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like. He couldn't help a lot of things. Like his eyes trailing back up to linger on the hardened buds that stuck out to him the most, perhaps, out of everything. They, much like the flesh surrounding them, were perfect.

Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

He couldn't get that word out of his head, it just fit so well.

The surprising thing was that he wasn't as focused on her breasts as he thought he would be. Indeed, he was taking in everything he could find almost hungrily. His eyes searched her shoulders, her stomach, her breasts and even her arms. They didn't know what exactly they were searching _for_ but everything they found, suffice it to say, was golden.

Each and every single freckle, and she did have a few of those scattered around, and each scar that could probably tell quite the story had he just asked… She had a blemish or two that, whenever he caught sight of, he saw her tense up… He was sure if he looked closer he would notice more imperfections.

But imperfections just served to make everything else even more beautiful. They themselves might not have been part of the beauty, but they were as natural as everything else and they would always be there. They were tiny little things in the grand scheme of things. Things most could go a lifetime without noticing, even Ruby herself. Like with any good art piece, he could look past them quite easily.

But he suddenly wanted to know each and every one. Each tiny little thing she hated. He wanted to have her trust him enough to know them intimately.

"If you… if you keep looking at me like that…" Ruby let out a nervous little titter, unsure of exactly what she was going to say in the first place. What if he did? What would she do? What would she say?

His eyes were full of… something, and not the something she had expected to see. She really thought she knew how this was going to play out. But she was surprised. Again. 

She was happy when she noticed they weren't just sticking to her chest. Showing him her breasts was quite obviously the whole point of this little… experiment. But the fact that he was visually exploring everything that was on display was both breathtakingly amazing, and somewhat embarrassing.

"You're…" Jaune bit his tongue. One step at a time. "I mean, uh… You can cover up now." He leaned forward, shifting as he realized suddenly that another little situation had… risen. He took his eyes off of her and focused on trying to be as clandestine as possible to the fact that his little friend had decided to butt in on their moment.

He really was trying his best to not make this seem so sexual. Obviously, that was the main thing here. But there was plenty of time for that if there was a _next time._ If this was a _first time_ like he hoped it was, he wanted it to be an experience that wasn't marred by any unnecessary awkwardness.

Despite this, Ruby noticed immediately that he wasn't acting normally. She could tell something was up with the way he was sitting and shifting uncomfortably and she figured she had a pretty good idea of what it was.

Out of respect, she said nothing. But she felt proud of herself. She held in the urge to happily hum to herself as she gathered her change of clothes and walked out of view. Soon enough, she was dressed quite comfortably in a tee shirt and sweatpants.

By the time she was done changing, however, Jaune was up and gathering the things that had forced his return in the first place.

She smiled, sneaking up behind him and wrapping him in a firm hug. He jumped, but laughed just as she did when he realized what was going on.

"You big scaredy cat!" She teased, pressing her head into his back and closing her eyes. She felt at peace.

"You just caught me off guard, that's all." She hummed in response, feeling like she could stay like she currently was forever. But the thought occurred to her that she wouldn't have normally done something so affectionate. This was new. And it felt so natural.

"Jaune… um… You can see them anytime you want, you know… Y-you uh, you just have to ask." Ruby said, letting him know where they were at now in a way that she was sure would leave him red all over. And she was right, she just couldn't see it.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby slammed the binder that she definitely didn't steal from Weiss again down on the floor in front of Jaune, making such a loud boom echo through the dorm room that he felt like she would surely get complaints from fellow students. But then again, this was team RWBY's dorm, so he figured it was nothing new.

It was strange how sound seemed to easily travel from room to room but never across the hall in this building. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. I'm sure you all have important business to attend to, and I know that one or two of you had to clear a spot on your calendar for this-" Ruby began, standing straight and with a pose that just screamed leadership. But Jaune just had to interject.

"Ruby, I'm the only other person here," he said, looking left to right just to make sure that there was no one around just hiding in the shadowy corners. It wouldn't be the first time he had been surprised by someone he couldn't see. Blake had a tendency to hide in the weirdest places.

"Jaune! My fellow team leader of team JNPR. My dearest friend in the whole wide world-" Jaune swore he heard Weiss sneeze out in the hall, "and the one on whom I can always depend!" Ruby smiled, but her mood seemed to instantly change as she got up in his face. "You… were late." 

He backed up slightly as she pressed an accusatory finger into his chest, seemingly not minding the closeness at all. Her nose was nearly touching his. It was a tad uncomfortable. Not the worst, and he was sure he could get used to this level of closeness but… what with her eyes glaring daggers into his, he felt it better to not show any sign of weakness.

He straightened his back and cleared his throat before grabbing her hand and pointing her finger away from him. "Nora wanted me to make breakfast since Ren is sick. You wouldn't deny a Valkyrie her pancakes would you?"

Ruby's eyes grew cold and distant, almost as if she were reliving some kind of war through flashbacks. A war that she had never fought in. She knew not of the pancake wars, but she had heard stories… so many stories. All of them gruesome and horrifying. The injustices and violations of basic human rights that occurred in those days would never be forgotten, or made up for.

"Okay, maybe I can vouch for you this time but the  _ council _ will not be happy about this," Ruby explained in a very menacing tone.

"I would like to remind you that I have two seats on the council," Jaune stated curtly, unamused with her flaunting of the council's name as a scare tactic.

Ruby grumbled as she pulled away from him, clearly upset at the flow of power. Some people were just born to have overflowing coffers. "I hate democracy…" Ruby muttered spitefully.

"But you love me, right?" Jaune asked with a suddenly beaming smile, something that caused Ruby to turn away almost immediately. The very sight would cause her heart to tremble.

"Alright, let's not get carried away here. I understand, camaraderie, friendship, witty banter yadda yadda ya, this is an official space and  _ IT SHALL BE TREATED AS SUCH!" _ Ruby screamed in the very cute way she often did. "Now let's get down to business! You know why I called you here."

Jaune just stared at her as she stared back. Silence. Unending silence. The kind of silence that is… silent. Ruby was pretty sure she heard a cricket chirping that snuck in through the window last night.

"Actually, Ruby… I don't. You just called the meeting last night, said I had to be here or you would exercise your right to call my leadership into question at the next council meeting." Jaune held in a yawn as he stretched, trying to pretend as if he weren't worried about losing his seats. "Do you have any idea what kind of power imbalance that would cause?"

"Who are you to speak of power imbalance!?" Ruby shot to her feet, once again pointing an accusatory finger in his general direction. "You who have all the power!"

Jaune suddenly stood, towering over the poor girl. "I'm doing the best I can!"

"Well, your best isn't good enough," Ruby countered, stepping up to him. She wasn't even slightly intimidated by his height.

They stood there awhile just staring at one another, so close and yet so far. Divided by a difference in ideals, would they ever see eye to eye again? It seemed like such a distant dream, that they would ever peacefully walk aside each other again through fields of green.

Jaune was the first to break, trying his best to hold in a chortle that promptly turned into a chuckle. Ruby soon joined him, and soon enough they were on the floor, leaning into one another as they laughed quite happily at their own dumbass antics.

The laughing subsided and the two just sat there, enjoying one another's presence. It was comfortable. More importantly, it just felt so right to be together. Ever since their first dip into exploration in the locker rooms, the two had been even closer. A fact that the others had been very quick to point out.

Blake was the first to see it, unsurprisingly, but Yang followed soon after, all but announcing it to the entire lunch table, to which Nora and Pyrrha piped up that they had noticed too. It seemed the only two who had thought it was none of their business were Weiss and Ren.

But even they eventually got caught up in it, being forced to discuss what all was  _ different  _ about them recently. According to everyone else they had been noticeably more, as Yang put it,  _ touchy-feely. _ Ruby had certainly noticed that herself. But what was slightly annoying was the fact that she was usually the one being more  _ touchy-feely _ with Jaune.

Still, beggars couldn't be choosers. Ruby knew that changes would come. Gradually. That was how it worked in these weird romance book scenarios. She felt, however, that she wouldn't need to wait too long. This didn't feel like a slow burn situation, more of a short story with a couple of extra chapters, give or take.

"H-hey, Ruby?" Jaune spoke up, forcing away the admittedly weird thoughts in Ruby's head. She shifted, pressing into him just a tiny bit harder in response to his tone. Her chest tightened, she was sure her stomach would do flips soon. It always did. 

"Yeah?" she asked almost hopefully. She didn't know quite what to expect, but whether it was a talk that would push their relationship forward or something else more silly, or even—dare she hope—something more experimental, she would gladly jump headfirst into it.

"Can I see them again?" Jaune shifted on the floor so that he was facing towards her, a look in his eye that wasn't quite begging but definitely made her want to say yes regardless.

_ And there goes the stomach flip, _ thought Ruby. But the stomach flip was a good thing. A very good thing. She simultaneously hated it and wanted to feel it more often.

Being around Jaune was like being forced into feeling about twelve different emotions all at the same time. She could be happy and sappy, then sad the next moment when she realized how slow things were moving. She could feel greedy and want all his time to herself, going hand in hand with jealousy and envy whenever he would talk to another girl, and then feel intense joy at the smile on his face when he's sitting next to Pyrrha and joking around with her.

It was torture. Being in  _ love  _ was torture. But it was a torture that she happily subjected herself to  _ constantly. _ It was an experience that was wrecking her, but it was an experience that she had grown absolutely addicted to. Especially over the last week, since they…

She had promised him. Well, 'promised' was a bit much of a word. But she had told it to him straight, she had made a  _ statement. _ 'You can see them anytime you want, you just have to ask.' Paraphrasing, perhaps, and she there was no way it came out like that, so calm and collected like, but she  _ had _ said he could.

Did she expect him to ask at all? Kinda not really, no. But he did. And she was  _ excited. _

Ruby stood up on her feet, no longer feeling even slightly embarrassed about the thought of just showing him. It would be easy for her this time around, no pussyfooting around the subject like they had then.

She used her semblance, quickly zooming around the room to make sure the door was one hundred percent locked and that the windows were closed along with the curtains.

If they were going to have a moment, they needed their privacy after all. And when finally she slowed to a stop, the scattered petals disappeared.

She was instantly back down with him on the floor, and glad that she was wearing anything other than her combat gear or school uniform today. Today was a glorious day off, free from weapons and books and armor and combat skirts. She was wearing a simple tee shirt today. One that had a cute little beowolf design on it.

A tee shirt was easy to take on and off. A blessing really.

"I can't lie, I didn't actually expect you to ask me," Ruby said shyly. She may not be hesitant anymore, but she was still herself. And she was anything but confident with stuff like this unless she absolutely needed to be.

"I kept thinking about asking again, but I've been a bit… unsure if I even should. Or what the right times were. If there was ever even a  _ good time _ to ask for something like this." Jaune offered a smile that said more than his words ever could.

"There may never be a  _ great _ time to ask, but that doesn't mean you absolutely shouldn't. I've been hoping you would ever since I put it out there…" She chuckled, her fingers moving to clutch the hem of her shirt. They played with the fabric a little bit, wondering if she should give it a bit of time to make sure he was ready or if she should just do it.

Jaune was just staring at her shirt, thinking about the little beowolf and wondering if he had seen the exact same shirt in one of his sisters' closets before. Ruby looked adorable in it, her shorts too. It was a simple combination that looked good on her. He wished he could see her in casual clothing more often. 

He snapped to attention as soon as she started raising her shirt up and off of her, until her torso was left all but bare except for her red bra. He couldn't help but wonder if her panties were red too.

"Nice shade of red," he said with a smile, staring quite openly.

Her ears grew hot, and as she moved to take the bra off she turned her head. Unsure if she could handle looking him in the eye as she removed the final barrier. "Yang got me red and black sets for my birthday, said she thought they were cute and yeah… hehe, I kinda think so too. I think she was trying to tease me, but jokes on her, I like them!" Another awkward chuckle, and she inwardly cursed herself for prattling on about it. She could have just said 'thanks.'

Or wait, no would that be weirder?  _ Ugh, _ why did talking have to be so difficult?

"I think it looks good on you," Jaune admitted, watching as she froze halfway from taking it off. She bit her lip, absolutely jumping for joy at the admission. Jaune couldn't  _ not _ notice her little habit. It was just something she had started doing. That little lip bite. It had made him really start to notice just how  _ nice _ her lips looked.

She started taking it off again, and when she finally succeeded in her task, she breathed a sigh of relief. She pushed her chest out just a bit without thinking, and just like last time she let him soak in the sight without raising a fuss.

His eyes, just like last time, looked everywhere they could. He was thirsty to drink up as much of her figure as he could get, that much was obvious. But as his eyes trailed over her body, she noticed that he was definitely focusing more so on her breasts this time around. Or had she just not noticed before?

No, he was definitely looking more. Focusing on each, one at a time.

She felt a tingle travel down her spine.

The last time, that look he had in his eyes that she couldn't place. That  _ something. _ It was still there, ever present as she felt it always would be. It made her feel so wonderful, like he appreciated her body in a way that no one else ever could or  _ would. _

But there was also something else there now. She was beginning to feel very hot. She didn't notice her own breathing picking up in pace, nor her heart start beating so erratically. But two things she did…

Her stomach, it was twisting itself up,  _ tying _ itself up. There was a deeper sensation as well, something that made her feel really desperate for…  _ something.  _ So many  _ somethings, _ she thought.

And she… she was  _ wet.  _ She had been aroused before, obviously. But it never had been so strong. She couldn't believe  _ how _ strong. Somehow she knew it could be even stronger, too. That was almost terrifying.

Why hadn't it been like this last time, though? It had to have been entirely because of the look in his eyes, she guessed. The difference in them now, it was the reason why… why she was so…

_ 'Ugh. Jaune Arc, you've made me a mess.' _

She wouldn't hold it against him, though. How could she when she loved it so much?

"Can I get closer?" He asked, holding his breath as he waited for her answer. Her eyes widened, and she wondered for a moment if she could handle that. But ultimately she nodded her head, watching as he crawled closer.

It was an awkward thing to watch, if only for the reason that the picture in her head was of him tackling her to the ground and-

"Well, what… what do you think? You didn't really say anything last time…" She had to keep talking. That was the only way she could distract herself from her own desperation.

Jaune was so close now. So, so very close. She could swear that she felt his  _ breath _ hitting her skin.

"I think that…" Jaune looked away from her for a moment, but when he turned back he stared deeply into her eyes. Ruby wanted to faint and never wake up. This was like a dream. "I think that you're beautiful."

Okay. She was dead. She was absolutely dead. She was dead and this was heaven. She never returned from her last mission, her entire team got slaughtered by Grimm and she was living out her greatest fantasies in her own little slice of heaven, confirmed.

He had sounded so dreamy when he said it, or at least  _ she _ thought so. But on the inside Jaune was letting out one, very long and continuous scream that didn't seem to be stopping any time soon.

"I… Wow, that's…" Ruby squirmed in place, wrapping her arms around herself, just under her breasts. This of course, had a secondary benefit other than calming her own frayed nerves. Her chest actually looked slightly bigger because of the support. Not only that, her shy act was doing wonders for him. Ruby was always cute, but she was extra cute when she acted the way she was.

Jaune's left eye twitched. He wanted to call in the ref, because as far as he was concerned that wasn't fair in the slightest. He was already starting to feel the effects of staring. But now…

He shifted into a more comfortable position as he felt himself slowly grow hard, his erection pressing into his jeans almost painfully. He was hoping Ruby hadn't noticed the obvious display, but he wasn't holding out hope.

"Th-thanks. No one but family has ever called me that before," Ruby said softly, placing a hand on his leg.

That was all it took for a nuclear bomb to explode in Jaune's head. He stiffened terribly, and he so badly wanted to escape from his current predicament.

This kind of contact was fine, it really was. Under normal conditions. But he was hard. Very, very hard in fact. And the contact was doing things to his stomach that he would have preferred it not to do.

Ruby noticed everything, though. She held in a giggle and moved her hand from his leg to his arm. He looked her in the eyes as if she had demanded it from him.

"Jaune, it's okay. You don't have to hide it, I… I mean, I'm not asking you to show… B-but I think you shouldn't have to feel so awkward about this. We've made it this far, haven't we?" She brought his hand up, and met him in the middle with her own. Without even thinking, she clasped his hand in hers. "I understand."

He visibly relaxed after a moment of hesitation and she awkwardly looked down at the noticeable bulge in his pants. When she looked back up she wanted to lock him into the tightest hug imaginable. He looked so vulnerable that her heart wanted to stop.

"See?" Ruby continued. "It's not that bad." His lips slowly upturned into a smile. The two just stayed there for a bit, Ruby's hands locked with his, just growing more comfortable with this type of situation.

It was an odd one, if they were being honest. But in the moment, to them, it felt important. Just overcoming this much embarrassment towards exposure was a milestone in becoming even closer. And closer was… good. It was what they both wanted. Even if they hadn't spoken it, they understood that much. 

"I guess there isn't really much we should have to feel embarrassed about at this point," Jaune laughed. "But it seems weird that you're topless and I'm just going through… uh, yeah."

"It's honestly pretty… I don't know. Flattering? Knowing that I'm the one who caused it to happen feels pretty… cool?" She retracted her hand when she realized that it was starting to get super sweaty and uncomfortable, and in the absence of having anything else to do with them she just kind of looked down and awkwardly fiddled around. "And if you're feeling so outmatched, you could make it even."

Her eyes slowly moved to his hoodie, lingering a moment before her eyes flicked up into his. 

Jaune wasn't the best at social cues or body language but he got the hint well enough. With a deep breath he took both his hoodie and his shirt off in one swoop.

Ruby's eyes quickly flicked back down to his now exposed chest. She had seen his body in very quick glimpses every now and again, but mostly back before she had realized she was falling for the boy. Or rather,  _ man.  _ His body definitely said  _ man. _

Back when, she had only ever appreciated it in ways that spoke of his progress. He had built up, gained muscles where once were none; the progress this showed had earned admiration from the young Huntress-in-training.

Now, there was a different kind of admiration. She stared without any shame, her mouth slowly drifting open ever so slightly. A sound that could only be described as very intense approval and desire drifted from between her lips, and her eyes were lit with an intense fire he had never seen before.

She found herself inadvertently leaning forward, pressing her hands to the floor and getting on her knees. She was utterly lost to his lean build, and she almost wanted to ask if she could touch. But that wouldn't be very fair. They hadn't gotten that far just yet.

"Nice," she stated, her eyelids drooping as her look turned from intense to something more akin to passionate and licentious.

"Uh, Ruby?" Jaune spoke out, trying to awaken her from whatever trance she had put herself in.

Ruby's eyes opened wide again, and almost as if she hadn't realized what she was doing she fell back, face enveloped by heat and strawberry red. "I-I uh, I mean nice as in nice uh… progress! You've been training… so good! Yep! That's what I meant!" Ruby cleared her throat, unable to even look at him.

Silence. Empty silence. Silence so awkward they both wanted to be disintegrated so they didn't have to put up with it. But, if they were being honest, it wasn't  _ that _ uncomfortable.

Jaune felt, if anything, like he was walking on the moon. Or the parts of it that weren't shattered, at least. His eyes inevitably fell back down to her breasts, and before he could even think to stop himself he blurted out a question that should have gotten him killed, in his opinion. "Can I touch them?"

Ruby's eyes widened and she said nothing. What was there to even say to something like that? This was only his second time seeing them and he was being so bold as to ask if he could- "Yes!"

Jaune's eyes flicked upwards to stare into hers directly. Wide, surprised, and utterly full of shock, he could only watch as the suddenly wound up girl realized that she basically screamed her answer at the top of her lungs.

Realization was, as Jaune figured it would be, not easy for her to process. Her expression morphed several times to reflect her constantly changing emotions.

Fear, shock, embarrassment… finally settling on neutral after the tidal wave left her emotionally stranded on a deserted island named Dealing-With-the-Consequences.

_ Gods. _ They were doing  _ this, _ now.

"What I mean is… y-yes. Yes, you can touch them. But only if you let me touch your chest as well." She breathed out a sigh of relief at his reaction. A mix between apprehension and enthusiasm. There was no way the bo-  _ MAN _ would decline her more than fair offer.

Jaune realized that he had to do this. This  _ had _ to be equal opportunity. Limiting the market was never a good idea.

He put those strange thoughts out of his head as he raised his right hand up to grab at his left shoulder in a show of nervousness. "Yeah. That's fair."

Ruby nodded, unconsciously pushing her chest out again. She bit her lip once more as he approached, his hand raising to second base.

_ 'Okay, Ruby, you can do this. Just think pleasant thooooUGHTS.'  _ Ruby moaned as soon as his hand made contact, her body immediately going slack despite how tight her muscles coiled up beforehand.

Jaune had no idea what he was doing. He shifted his position so that he was able to use both of his hands, Ruby letting out another very soft moan at the introduction of his second.

She was a bit, or a lot rather, sensitive. What a time for her to realize.

Jaune's hands groped and squeezed and pinched, almost too gently. His entire face was on fire, same as hers. So at the very least they felt the same in that way. But the small noises she made, the slight moans and the  _ panting… _

He shivered, goosebumps raising on his skin. He wanted to hear those noises more often, it was crazy the kind of things a simple sound could do to him, to his mind, his  _ heart. _

Ruby kept her eyes closed firmly. She didn't want to see, afraid that actually seeing his hands exploring her body like they were would force a gut reaction. Whether it be physical or simply a little yelp of panic, she didn't want anything to make Jaune stop.

This was so different from anything she had thought she would get up to today, but like last time it was a pleasant surprise.

The wetness between her thighs hadn't subsided, and this situation certainly was of no help to her. She felt a fire spread from her loins upwards, though the funny thing was that the origin of the flames was so disconnected.

"Jaune, s-stop," she said hurriedly. He obeyed, but as she opened her eyes she realized her tone may have been conveyed wrong. He looked like a puppy who had just got in trouble. His next words were undoubtedly going to be-

"Did I do something wrong?" Jaune's eyes stayed locked on hers. His tone stung. She wanted to tell him that he didn't, so she did the only thing she could think of. She hugged him tightly, her breasts pressing into his chest.

This was far more than he bargained for.

"No! You didn't. It felt good. Better than good! I just…" Ruby trailed off, relaxing as she felt his shaking arms wrap around her in return. "It was too much. For now anyway. I don't want us to-"

"Do anything we might regret?" he finished for her.

"I was going to say 'anything too much all at once.' I don't think I would regret anything. Or at the very least, I would like to think I wouldn't. If I agree to it." Ruby pulled away from the hug with a soft smile. 

But the smile soon turned lascivious, and her eyes turned to Jaune's well built body. His muscly chest. His hard  _ abs of steel. _

Okay so maybe it was an exaggeration to say that Jaune was built like a boulder. But he was certainly well cut. And as soon as her hands touched down on his chest, she understood that that was more than enough for her.

Who needed bodybuilder like gains when you were _this_ freaking handsome _._ And cute _._ And _oh my Gods yes._

She wondered if her feelings were etched upon her features as clearly as she felt like they were. In which case, she hoped she wasn't being creepy.

It was just that she had an appreciation for weapons that transcended everything. Ever. And she felt like Jaune's body could  _ probably  _ be called a weapon.

Maybe.

Or she was just trying to justify the rampant feelings running amok inside of her.

"You're… really… _really_ _hot,"_ Ruby said slowly, mostly mumbling the words to herself as if she weren't even aware of his presence. But when she realized she was lost in a haze again, she shook herself out of it.

Then she froze. Panic striking through her heart directly.  _ 'I said that out loud.' _

A moment passed before she found the strength to look him in the eyes.

They were wide and full of disbelief, his mouth dropped slightly. Eventually, though, he blinked away the shock and shook his head, smiling with a radiance that she had never seen from him before. It was… confident.

And it wasn't like his fake confidence, either. It was genuine. And it was absolutely one of the most attractive things she had ever seen.

Jaune took her in again, completely. She felt his gaze roaming over every inch of exposed skin before settling right back on her face.

_ "You're _ hot," Jaune said boldly, using her own words against her.

She felt herself grow faint, her head full of fuzz. She couldn't comprehend that the words were addressed to her at first. It felt weird, but also wonderful.

_ Hot. _

That word had only ever been thrown at Yang. Despite how often she sneered at the usage of it. She wasn't that big of a fan when the word was used by anyone aside from herself.

Ruby had always been the cute little sister. She seemed destined to be stuck in that role forever, but Jaune had just taken that very role and threw it in the garbage can.

She felt a swell of pride hit her. She felt sexy. Like she could do anything. Was this what she made him feel?

She could very much get used to the feeling.

The two of them just stared at one another for a moment, smiles wide and eyes full of happiness.

But all good things had to eventually come to an end, and their usual social awkwardness came back to remind them both that despite how hot they may be, there was no escape.

"I guess we should wrap this up, now," Ruby said, gathering up the crumpled up shirt and bra that lay beside her on the floor.

"Yeah. It was fun while it lasted," Jaune replied, his smile falling slightly. But it didn't disappear. It probably wouldn't for a while, he felt.

Ruby took the moment to put her bra back on, followed by her shirt. Jaune, however, made no move to throw on his, nor his hoodie.

He had to admit that it felt good for Ruby to look at him like she had. And if all it took to get a reaction like that from her was to go shirtless, well… maybe he should take a page out of Sun's book.

Just a little one.

"Oh, before I forget…" Jaune cleared his throat, sitting up straight and adopting a more serious tone, as if nothing that had happened actually happened. "What  _ did _ you call a meeting for?"

"Oh, ya know… important stuff and things," Ruby said, grabbing the binder that she had slammed down at the beginning of the so called meeting. "Honestly it's not really that important. I kind of mostly wanted an excuse for us to… to be alone?" She flipped through the binder just so she was doing something. Anything but looking at  _ him _ when she admitted it.

"You were hoping I would-" he was interrupted by the binder hitting his chest. It knocked the wind out of him slightly.

"Shush," she said, holding a finger to her mouth as if to make her point hit harder.

"But-"

"Shush!" The two just looked at each other, and when he opened his mouth a third time, she moved to wrap him up into a soft hug. "Next time," she said. "We'll talk about it next time."

"Okay," he relented, his eyes rolling but his smile revealing his happiness. "Sure. Next time."


	3. Chapter 3

It was clear to both of them that something was coming. That  _ something _ had been building up, gathering energy and amassing somewhere entirely too small until it swelled up like a big balloon; and it felt very much like it had reached a limit, that it was about ready to  _ pop. _ That was the only way to accurately describe it.

Well, surely there were other ways, and Weiss or Blake could have given multiple different explanations or descriptions had Ruby asked for their opinions, but to her that was all she had.

She had briefly discussed the feeling with Jaune, and he had agreed. It felt like there was a calm before the storm, and the calm had been lasting for such a long while that the both of them were honestly frightened. Holding their breath and awaiting a maelstrom that would sweep them off their feet.

The tense energy manifested in many different ways for the two of them. In lingering eye contact, touches that lasted just a bit too long. Their hugs had felt different lately as well, less calming and more chaotic. Ruby never really seemed to know what to do with her hands. She kept wanting to reach for his chest, to place them against him gently as she huddled close to his warmth.

Jaune, for the most part, had found a little unoffending area on her sides that tickled ever so slightly. She got all giggly when he touched her there, tightening up and having to physically resist the urge to either tickle him back or physically assault him off of her.

It was, perhaps, a force of habit from Yang's old tickle wars.

Still, she was getting better about it. She didn't immediately get the instinct to rear up and sucker punch him in the stomach before uppercutting his jaw…

She and Yang were brutal as kids.

The energy in the library was not to her liking. It was entirely too laid back and quiet. She felt like there should have been some kind of noise to distract from the oncoming thunder that rolled in the distance. Despite this she did her best to relax, making sure to pay attention to Weiss' tutoring. Something she never asked for but always ended up receiving anyway.

Over the course of several hours, focus between both team RWBY and JNPR shifted from studying to just doing whatever it was they usually did in a library. Which meant that games were played, comics were read, and talks were had. None of which had been executed with the grace and quietude that the academic space demanded of them.

Tables had broken, groups split. Soon enough the combinations sitting at said tables were wild and held no meaning of form and function.

Nora sat with Yang, Weiss and Pyrrha, while Ren in the meantime had sat with Ruby, Jaune and Blake. The tables had been pushed together for a card game, pulled apart for individual games when they realized that maybe eight person Dos (not trademarked) was a bit too hectic and would last too long, and then pushed together again for one of Nora's crazy stories.

Finally, before the day was said and done, things had slowed and contentment was found in order. 

The only difference being that Jaune and Ruby were now connected at the hip. Which honestly was not a surprise to anyone who had been paying attention. So Blake. 

Basically just Blake.

The girl had been keeping a close eye on them throughout the whole day, noticing all of the little details that even they themselves probably hadn't. The way in which they would constantly find excuses to be grouped together in any sort of activity, how after about two hours into their study session Ruby would be sending the boy obvious glances and getting in trouble by Weiss.

She noticed, likewise, that Jaune could barely focus and was constantly asking Pyrrha for help on things so he could stop himself from returning those glances. Blake had been appreciative of that. She was sure that it had been torture, but Ruby was still a team leader, she needed to focus on her studies. She was very sure that they felt the same in that regard.

If there had been any doubts that Jaune would be a good romantic interest for Ruby to pursue, those very doubts had been squashed several times over. They were just too good together. So adorable, too.

But she, with her analytical mind, could notice the patterns and the signs. The two of them had been much closer over the past month. There was something going on between them, and it wasn't a full on secret relationship like in her books. No, their progression felt natural to her. But her team's little Rose didn't seem to shy away from any physical contact like she was sure she would have some time back.

That meant that things had, at one point or another, gotten physical between them. She was very sure of that. It was as tropey as can be, but she couldn't imagine that with those two it was anything but. The both of them learned and grew through trial by fire, they were not very good at changing without extreme cause and effect guiding them.

It still meant that they had  _ thrown _ themselves into the fire headfirst, if so. Something that she had to admit she was intensely proud of them for.

Blake was still watching them carefully, a book that she had finished reading hours ago open in front of her face just so she could keep up appearances. Something she did quite often when she wanted to indulge in her secret hobby of people-watching. It was useful; covert and clandestine, making sure that her habit was kept surreptitious.

Fancy words aside, she found that Ruby and Jaune were not a good fit for any of them. It pained her just how obvious they were about their feelings, but they still carried on as if they had never once broached the topic with one another.

This was assuredly…  _ scandalous.  _ The two adorable leaders had met in private, somewhere remote and isolated from the outside world. They had done something together. Something decidedly not wholesome in the slightest. All outside of a relationship, even  _ if _ that was where they were headed. It was unexpected from them. It was something Blake would have seen fitting more in line with much bolder people.

She had to admit to herself that she was starting to become very invested in this little scenario.

Blake's cat ears twitched. They were whispering now. Perhaps they realized that they were in a library, finally after all this time. But she knew better than that. They had never cared before to be quiet and courteous when everyone was with them. Individually their library etiquette was perfectly flawless, but being around the others did wonders to awaken beasts and demons inside of them.

The only reason they could have for whispering at the current moment was to be unheard, to speak privately and not draw any undue attention.

Unfortunately for them, Blake had sensitive hearing, and while usually she just tuned the extra amplification out, it really was a simple matter of wresting control from her brain. Perhaps it would have been different had she been sitting at the other table, but as it stood, if she just focused a little bit she could hear them perfectly fine. Not that they were whispering particularly low in volume.

She only felt slightly guilty as she listened in on every  _ delicious _ word they spoke. When she started to truly  _ hear _ and  _ comprehend _ their words though, she was left shocked. Obviously she didn't show it outwardly, but the words were so different from what she had expected to hear.

They were…  _ flirting.  _ And saying some rather dirty things as well. Things that, had Yang been the one to hear, would already have resulted in half of the library being destroyed and Jaune Arc laying in the ashes of thousands of burnt books. It was a good thing that these two had Blake to look out for them… still,  _ the things they were saying. _ They were shocking to the raven-haired girl, that these two awkward little dorks would even dare to  _ insinuate. _

But even worse, soon the flirting turned to something else entirely...

"Is this really alright?" Jaune asked the smaller girl, and Blake watched as she pressed into his side so that she was even closer to him. "It's… warm. And a bit wet."

Blake's eyes widened. She quickly snuffed out her reaction, she needed to stay neutral. It was the path and the way. She needed to stay true to her ninja instincts.

"S-sorry," Ruby breathed out, her voice sounding somewhat like she was pushing herself to this. As if she were unsure and full of doubt that the two should have been doing… whatever it was they were doing. "It happens sometimes. I get all…"

"N-no, it's fine," Jaune assured her. The two of them were so red in the face that it was obvious they were doing something they shouldn't be. If anyone looked over, Blake was sure they would be called out.

"I don't know," Ruby said, laughing awkwardly with barely any breath left in her lungs. "I'm all hot now. Wouldn't you prefer if I-" Her eyes went wide as she was suddenly pulled even closer to the boy. Blake couldn't stop her right eye from twitching. Wouldn't he prefer if she  _ what? _ And what was that? What did he  _ do? _

"Really?" Ruby continued on. "Here? But… anyone could be looking…" She was flushed so brightly, and she looked like she would start sweating any moment now.

"It's alright," Jaune assured her with a smile. His confidence astounded Blake. This was not the Jaune she knew. This wasn't the  _ Ruby _ she knew. Neither of them would ever do this. Definitely not. It was so…  _ lewd. So scandalous. _

Blake's own face was flushed now, she held back the urge to start fanning herself with the book in her hands. What was happening? Why here? Why now? Couldn't they just wait until they were alone? They had a perfectly empty dorm room available to them right now. Two of them in fact. But they chose to, instead, do this here, of all places.

Blake felt like she was going to faint. She was in utter disbelief.

"It's alright…" Ruby mimicked. She seemed to sink into him, letting out a satisfied sigh as she did so. Blake's head was going to explode. She needed to know, needed to confirm that what she thought was happening was happening. So she quietly got up, closed her book, and made towards the bathroom.

When she was out of sight she ducked behind a shelf and stilled her beating heart. With as much tact as the situation allowed her, she jumped upwards, gently landing on top of the bookshelf that was thankfully just wide enough to allow her to perch on top of it. With all the grace of a housecat on the prowl, she moved to better her position so that she could see down towards the table.

What she saw made her fall back in shock.

Her body froze, but soon the feeling of weightlessness seized her entire being. Her arms flailed, her legs did too. To her credit, in the spirit of stealth, she uttered not a single cry. But much to the disappointment of all the cats in the world, she didn't land on her feet. In fact, she landed flat.

Her Aura rippled and sputtered, protecting her from the impact. It knocked all the wind out of her and it still hurt like a freight train, but the pain was replaced by a pleasant numbness soon enough. She couldn't get up even if she wanted to, however. As her knees were far too wobbly. The shock of what she had seen was still coursing through her body, her nose bleeding and her ears steaming.

It was just as she had feared: Ruby was sitting on Jaune's lap… and they were… they were…

_ Holding hands. _

* * *

Every experiment the two had undertaken up to this moment could be considered a success. The flashing experiment, as Ruby had called it; the breast touching experiment that soon followed, and the cuddling experiment after that one. The hand holding experiment which was still ongoing seemed to be going well enough to join them.

For a couple of weeks now the two had been walking to and from classes hand in hand, trying their hardest to make the occurrence common and totally innocuous to everyone who witnessed it. It was just a simple bit of affection, it was entirely innocent. There was no one on Remnant who would look at two teens holding hands and think anything but pure thoughts. They had succeeded to the point that it seemed some people had never even realized they started doing it.

But this was a gray area.

Sitting on his lap? Oh sure. That could be innocent enough. But it could also be taken as very much not that. Ruby had to admit to herself that right now innocence was out the window, and that, despite his assurances, this was not alright. That is to say, it would be alright normally, had there not been an insane amount of sexual tension between them.

She was comfortable where she was. It wasn't hard to feel all warm and fuzzy inside with her back pressed up against his chest and his arms snaked around her stomach. The way Jaune held her was nice… but what wasn't nice was the erection pressing into her butt.

Actually, no scratch that. That  _ was _ nice. In an entirely different way.

Her heart swelled with pride. She had made him hard again. She, Ruby Rose, the one who was always written down as cute and adorable and not much else in terms of her looks (even if he  _ had _ called her hot that one time) had given Jaune Arc, the boy she knew that in no uncertain terms she was absolutely in love with, an erection.

Perhaps it had to do more so with the bodily contact but she couldn't care any less than she already did. She was squealing in joy on the inside.

But his little problem created another little problem for her.  _ Her panties were soaked. _ She would need to change out of her clothes as soon as they were done in the library. She was extremely happy that today was a Sunday. There would be no questions as to why she was dressing down early.

She bit her lip as she let out an unsteady breath, her teeth irritating the same spot she had already made sore several times over.

Her hand was already a little clammy, but now she was just sweating in his embrace. Suddenly, she got chills.

The storm. This was  _ it. _ They were in the thick of it now. Unable to make simple contact with the other lest their bodies respond in a heated fashion. They needed to do something about this. They needed a release from the pressure that had built up.

They needed to do something.  _ Anything. _ Even if neither of them felt true release, if they could just force it all back down for a bit they would be able to calmly, and with clear heads, talk about their next course of action. Their next experiment. They could decide what would be best for them to satiate the storm inside, to stop it from growing as intensely as it had been.

Yes, that was what they needed to do. Force the feeling down, bottle it up just a bit longer. 

Ruby gasped as she shifted on his lap, feeling his erection press up against her crotch. The two of them stayed in that position for a moment as Ruby unconsciously started to grind on him. She slowly, softly started to bounce. Just enough to get the leverage needed to truly feel him against her core.

For a few moments Ruby just kept the simple motion up, her mind blank as the feeling washed over her.

She had been far more interested in sexual things since this all started, she had even started masturbating in the shower. Sometimes she dared to do it in bed, but those times were very few and far between.

Even so, this blew all of her solo experiences out of the water. Though, maybe that was due to her own inexperience in even pleasing herself.

She let out a gasp before her body shook uncontrollably, her head snapping quickly to the left as if a sudden tick she had never had before wracked her body, taking control from her entirely for a split second. She cursed under her breath.

_ 'This would be so much better if we didn't have all these stupid clothes on…' _

She froze, and that's when she realized just what she was doing.

Her eyes widened, face hotter than the sun. She could hear Jaune gasping and panting into her ear, trying his best to keep quiet. He had told her that it was easy for men to not even make so much as a peep while masturbating. But this wasn't masturbating and he had never felt anything like this.

She felt guilty for a moment. He hadn't asked for this, hadn't agreed to this impromptu experiment. They were in public, surrounded by all their closest friends.  _ She was like ten or so feet away from her sister. _

Normally she would find that _so_ gross… but she was so wet, and he was so hard, and _dust_ it felt _so_ _fucking good._

"Jaune, we should… w-we should stop," she whispered, her eyes wandering around just to make sure. Everyone was minding their own business. Perhaps it helped that the two of them hadn't really made an audible sound for the past twenty minutes, but it truly seemed as if they had sunk into the background.

Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Perhaps they were all just awkwardly avoiding looking over, knowing full well what kind of things were happening. They were certainly alone at their table now, a fact which hadn't been noted by either of the two.

When had that happened? Everyone was sitting away from them, huddled around and enthralled in a conversation that seemed so far away and unimportant.

Blake was missing. Probably in the bathroom or something. Or maybe she had gone back to the dorm to read in silence. She  _ had _ been absorbed in that book of hers for hours.

"I-I'm not the one doing anything," Jaune replied. She just closed her eyes and shook her head, knowing he was absolutely right. It had all been her. "But," he continued, "I'm not complaining."

Tingles down her spine.

She didn't know she had the capacity to be so overrun with lust. It was such an intense feeling, she could barely think. Her brain refused to function like it normally did, like she was lost in a haze. Her skin burned, her heart kept a wild pace; how was it that she was expected to function like a human being while putting up with  _ this? _

"Y-you  _ should _ be complaining. If only one of us is in our right mind I would prefer it to be you," she admitted, her head spinning almost dizzily. It wasn't sickening, but it wasn't pleasant. She felt like it did have the capacity to be pleasant, though. If she gave in and fed it the fire it wanted so desperately. To her, if she thought too hard about it, she felt like how being drunk was always explained to her by adults. Just without all the tipping over. She truly felt like, with her head in such a state, she could make some really stupid decisions.

"Are you saying you don't want to do this?" Jaune asked, his intoxicatingly hot breath colliding with her already flushed skin. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to throw all of the horribly dirty thoughts collecting in her mind away.

"I do! I want to do this so bad! But we shouldn't do this. This is… really  _ bad!" _ Ruby replied to him, trying to keep herself under control. Despite herself, her quiet outburst caused her body to move in such a way that caused him to grind into her once again. Her eyes shot open wide, her body freezing in panic. "Jaune, we should stop…"

Despite her words, she was the one who started moving again. Slowly at first, but soon picking up in pace.

"We've done a lot recently… is this really that much of a step up?" Jaune asked. Ruby found herself wondering just who it was he was trying to convince. Still, he had a point. It may not have been a great point, but it was a point.

"But we… we're in front of our friends! This is wrong, we should… at least go somewhere private…" Ruby moaned, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Ruby," Jaune groaned quietly and hotly in her ear. "I want to keep going. Here.  _ Right here." _ Jaune felt her tense up even more than she already was. But she didn't say no. She had a pensive and hesitant look,  _ but she wasn't saying no. _ In fact she hadn't said no the whole time.

They both knew exactly what that meant.

The both of them kept a constant vigil, knowing that all it would take is for one of their friends to just glance over and they would be outed. They could stop easily enough and play it off like she was just trying to get more comfortable, but if they failed to notice that eyes were on them and kept going it would soon enough be pretty obvious.

How many experiments was this today? Hand holding, lap sitting, grinding… in public? What other crazy things would they get up in the next few hours…

"You're so hard…" Ruby gasped out, sighing in pleasure as she felt the bulge rub up against her in the most pleasurable spot so far.

"And you're so wet…" he moaned back after casting a quick glance downward and noticing the dark splotch she left on his jeans. "After we're done, we're going to have to run back to the dorms, you know that right? We'll need an- AH, excuse.."

She knew he was right. They were going to be a mess when all was said and done. But they would cross that bridge when they got to it.

Ruby stared forward, holding in a particularly aggressive sound of approval as his hands slowly moved upwards to cup her breasts. He squeezed and massaged her chest, and even through clothing it felt absolutely fantastic. At least combined with what he was doing down below. 

Her head was spinning. This was so unreal. Were they really doing this? Really  _ still _ doing this?

Jaune started to thrust upwards in time with her grinding, starting up just the right pace to drive her absolutely wild. But the motion was awkward and the rhythm felt wrong. They were not doing the best, but that was okay. Ruby felt like they were doing enough.

If it felt any better she would just end up screaming. Not because she was a particularly vocal girl, but because she felt like it would make it better.

Slight exaggeration, just to let him know how much she appreciated what he was doing. Just to let him know that his… his…  _ cock _ was hitting all the right places. Even with the barriers in between.

She wanted him to hear her make noise, any kind of noise. A moan, a gasp, a curse unfiltered and unstifled. She wanted to make noises that she knew he would adore.

But they were so held back here, she wished they were alone. She wished she were wearing something that allowed him access to her chest. She wanted to feel his hands slip under her top and she wanted to feel his hands grope her, she wanted him to tease her sensitive buds, pinch them and pull them. She wanted to feel so much…

But instead all she got was the amazing yet subdued feeling of their little exercise in dry humping.

Despite Ruby wanting more, however, her body told her that what she was getting was more than enough. Every time her ass pressed down into him, every time he rubbed up against her…  _ pussy…  _ she shivered.

She let out a small whine, just loud enough to carry. They stopped moving immediately, daring to look across at all their friends. They were still showing no sign of knowing, they still were very much keeping to themselves.

Ruby exhaled, turning her now scarlet features to regard Jaune with an almost pleading expression. "Please," she whispered so low that she might as well have been mouthing the words.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, placing his forehead against hers. Her lips looked inviting. He held himself back.

"I want…" She was biting her lip so hard that Jaune was honestly afraid of her drawing blood. The habit was getting out of hand. He needed to find a way to make her stop doing that…

Images of her with a gag in her mouth flashed through his head. He felt his erection throbbing as it strained against his pants.

"Jaune, I want to…" She looked like she was struggling so hard to get it out. It was obvious that Ruby really wanted to say whatever it was, but something was holding her back. He felt like he knew what she was trying to say, regardless.

Saying it would mean no turning back.

Maybe that was what all these experiments were building towards. The one end goal this entire time. Perhaps it wasn't really a relationship. The relationship would just be a natural part of progression, after all.

Still, he wasn't sure if now was a good time. Hearing her say it would make him lose his grip. He held his breath as she watched her lips form words that refused to leave her throat.

"I want you to make me…" Ruby attempted again, cursing inwardly. Why should this be so hard? Why shouldn't she be able to say it after everything that happened?

She took a deep breath, and began slowly grinding on him once more.

"Ruby, I-" Jaune was shushed by a finger to his lips. She was pleading with him with just her eyes.  _ Just let me say this. _ Regardless of how much of a bad idea it was, he complied.

"Jaune, please. Make me… c-..." She blinked, her eyelids fluttering closed. "Mmm, make me c- cu- ah…" 

He was doing his best to increase his tempo without making too much noise. In response, she made the hottest noise he had ever heard. A cross between a groan and a somewhat gentle moan, but it was so weak and high pitched that it was nearly imperceptible.

It wasn't like some super exaggerated moan from some random porn video, it was just so…  _ Ruby. _

Jaune redoubled his efforts, thrusting up into her admittedly pretty plump ass, enjoying the feeling of pressing into her crotch more than he probably should have.

Perhaps she had planned this. She had never managed to vocalize what she wanted but he knew damn well what it was. He didn't want to hear it for this reason. He didn't want to lose control.

And now look.

The expression on her red face was one of disbelief. She didn't know that something this simple could feel so good.

Every thrust was bringing her closer to salvation; or perhaps maybe damnation. She had no idea of which one it would be, but if either felt this amazing she would gladly accept both with open arms.

But she could feel it in his movements. She was no closer to her goal than she was before they had been startled out of their passion by her whine of pleasure.

He, on the other hand, was close. Very close. So close that she completely forgot about her own satisfaction for a moment, turning all of her attention on to him.

Every thrust felt like heaven, and every single whisper flushed against his skin made him want to thrust harder. But he was already going as fast as he could without causing the chair to creak or lift up and slam back down.

He was already at his limit in this environment.

"Ruby," he cried out in a harsh but hushed tone. "I'm getting close!"

She took a quick glance over just to make sure they were still in the clear, and as soon as she was sure it was safe to do so she locked him into a kiss.

That was four. Four experiments.

His first kiss, and hers.  _ Their first. _

It wasn't as deep as she felt it should have been. This situation felt like it called for a lot more tongue than she was willing to put into it for now. But Jaune didn't care, he couldn't think. Not even a little. Their eyes just closed and he let himself sink.

His mind went white, static filling every corner as his body worked on auto pilot. He tensed up, his grip around her chest tightening just like his stomach. Her heart beat rapidly, so fast that she was sure it would never beat any faster.  _ His _ was beating just as quickly.

His thrusts slowed, but the intensity of the last few made her feel just how intense this was for him. She said nothing and just allowed him to enjoy himself until he was finally at rest.

After a moment longer the two pulled away from the kiss, both sets of eyes opening to stare into the other. 

"Woah," Jaune said. Ruby smiled, and smiled back. "That was…"

"Y-yeah… It was."

They let a moment pass, until their hearts slowed. Until they were entirely at ease and the feelings that had taken them over almost entirely had dissipated.

The lust, the intense longing for intimacy. It had passed, and with it the storm.

Jaune shrunk, suddenly feeling as tiny as he possibly could as he realized something. Something important that he had, in the moment, overlooked.

"Ruby," he started. "You didn't get to-"

Almost as if she had anticipated him making a big deal out of it, she interrupted him with a quick and honestly pretty chaste kiss on the lips.

"I didn't," she said with a slightly nervous chuckle. "But you did. And I'm fine with that." Jaune went to protest, but she just cut him off with a stern glare.  _ "For now." _ The stern glare disappeared behind a good humored smile. She looked so beautiful to him in that moment. She had never looked  _ more _ beautiful.

Probably a side effect of the afterglow, he thought. "Yeah." He laughed, pulling her close to his chest. "For now."

They closed their eyes, enjoying the quiet, and the sounds of light conversation only a table away. The moment couldn't have been more perfect.

_ However… _

"Ruby, can we go back to the dorms? I would  _ really _ like a shower. Aaaaand a change of clothes."

She winced, suddenly being reminded of her own mess down below. "Yeah… that sounds like a good idea." They both shared a tight hug before going over their plan for getting away from their friends.

All the while, Ruby was entertaining a thought… a thought that refused to leave long after they were finished with their showers, and long after they were finished cuddling on his bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby sat nervously on Jaune's bed as she watched the clock tick the time away. Each second was like torture to the girl, unable to find any way in which to occupy herself.

When would he be back? When would Jaune Arc walk through the door and sweep her off her feet?

It was only a matter of time. After all they had planned this for what felt like forever. If he had somehow messed it up there was no way they were going to be able to pull off a bamboozle of this size and scale again for a long while.

But then, if he did somehow fail… Fair enough. She imagined herself in his shoes, and honestly she felt like  _ she _ would probably screw it up somehow.

It was simple, as far as plans went. But there's always a million bajillion ways plans could go awry. So she held her breath, and she sat waiting.

She let out a cry of exasperated annoyance, probably exacerbating the feeling in the long run as she fell backward.

"I wish I had Crescent Rose…" she muttered. At the very least, then she could fiddle, and fiddling was what Ruby did best. Especially when it came to weapons.

Her eyes closed slowly. Fiddling. Weapons. She would be fiddling with  _ Jaune's _ weapon soon enough. She wondered what it would be like.

It wasn't like she had never seen one before. Many of her nights recently have been spent somewhere private, just her and her scroll as she spent hours watching things Weiss would undoubtedly blanch at. And then probably call her perverted or something.

But if there was one thing Ruby had learned in all of her exploration, it's that there was absolutely nothing wrong with being a pervert. So long as you only let that side of you show to someone you could trust, someone who was into it.

Jaune was absolutely into it.

Ruby had no idea that he could be so…  _ dirty. _ But since they had started sharing videos and pictures that they found online with one another, she had discovered just how deep the rabbit hole went. Especially when he sent her all that rabbit Faunus stuff.

She would probably never be able to look Velvet in the eye ever again.

That wasn't to say she didn't enjoy it. Because she did. She truly loved sharing all of her fantasies with him, all the lewd thoughts she had begun to let into her head.

She sighed as she got more comfortable on the bed, rolling over on her side as she lay her head on her hands.

She remembered the library incident, as they had dubbed it, very clearly. She remembered the electric feeling tingling up her spine, the feeling of teetering on the edge of an abyss. If she had fallen in she would have lost herself completely.

In that moment it had been entirely about her own pleasure, but that had so easily been pushed aside when she knew he was about to finish.

She was almost angry with herself.  _ Almost. _

The truth of the matter was that she hadn't cared in the moment. She had made him feel amazing, and that's what she focused on. But she knew that, regardless, she was getting paid back tonight.

Even if  _ he _ didn't know it.

Ruby smiled, lightheaded excitement coursing through her body. He didn't know! It was going to be quite the surprise for the boy-  _ man. _ Man, she had to remind herself. He  _ was _ a boy. And if he wasn't a man… s _ he was going to make him one. _

But there was time for these thoughts later. She would probably be denied her time with Jaune if he didn't succeed in shaking the others off at the boarding docks.

It would all be for naught if he returned with even one of their friends.

Her faking being sick would mean nothing.  _ Nothing!  _ And that would be a bummer because Weiss seemed really upset.

Ruby's heart soared with happiness at the image of her BFF's face contorted in fear and worry over her health, holding a hand to her forehead and trying to feel for a fever that didn't exist.

Even still, it had been easy enough to fake it when the only two people you really needed to fool were two girls who never knew you to fake an illness before.

Ruby was about ninety-nine percent sure that Yang knew she was a liar-liar-pants-on-fire, but she was also secure in the fact that she wouldn't tell a soul. 

She probably would figure it all out the moment Jaune pulled the old 'worried about my friend' card and pulled out of the group movie day to 'take care of her.' Everyone else, however… It was exactly the type of thing they would fall for. They all noticed how close the two of them had become. They noticed how so casually intimate they were in their interactions. They were all invested enough to actively encourage him to stay.

It was the perfect plan to get some alone time. 

Besides, it was only a small lie in the grand scheme of things. They just... wanted  _ one _ day alone at the very least, and even if she had to have a very,  _ very _ embarrassing talk with her sister later that evening, it would all be so worth it.

She just had to have faith in Jaune to pull it off.

_ But she was really starting to get antsy. _

* * *

They were falling for it all. The expression on his face, the way he seemed to hesitate boarding the airship… But he needed to put the extra work in, he knew. There was no way he could just walk away. He had to put his acting chops to work.

But he didn't put on all those famous, world renowned Arc Family Plays for nothing!

Saphron had always told him that he was a natural when it came to conveying tone, and buried deep within all the other compliments that were totally not given only because he was their brother, he could remember quite a few about his ability to make the audience (his family) believe anything he wanted them to!

He had this. In the bag too.

"Hey guys," Jaune spoke, stopping everyone before they had fully boarded the airship. "Ruby wasn't looking too good, was she?"

He watched their reactions carefully. Blake seemed indifferent, but there was still a modicum of care in her eyes. When he could see them. For some reason she just refused to look at him, fully. He wondered briefly if he had done something wrong, but managed to shake the thought away. Blake was just being Blake. Maybe.

Ren, Nora and Pyrrha just looked amongst one another before offering him sympathetic glances.

But truly, Weiss and Yang had the most interesting reactions. Weiss actually looked like she was about five seconds from ruining everything; no doubt that Ruby was good at playing sick, she had almost fooled Jaune even. He half expected her to have actually come down with something through the night when he laid eyes on her this morning.

It was heartwarming. Ruby probably felt over the moon with how Weiss was acting. But he knew that if he didn't get her out of here, the plan would be ruined. No video game date, no cuddles while watching cartoons and dumb action movies, no nothing.

But while Weiss seemed beside herself with worry, Yang seemed… intrigued.

So intrigued in fact that Jaune was sure she knew exactly what was going on. But she also seemed to know more than even him.

Just like Ruby had said would happen, Yang hadn't been fooled by her deception. It was safe to say that she wasn't going to ruin their plans or anything, but the way her eyes suddenly bore into Jaune made him blink.

Sheesh. It was like staring into the sun. Her eyes seemed so intently focused on him, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what the intent was.

"Ruby did seem… to not be feeling the best," Blake admitted, her right hand finding her left arm.

"Yes," Weiss began. "P-perhaps I should stay and watch over her. After all, it might help to make her feel at least a little better having a friend close by."

"Actually," Jaune began, but he was quickly shut up by Yang motioning for him to stop.

Yang crossed her arms, shifting her weight to her dominant foot. Her expression spoke of pure amusement. "I have an idea," Yang said with a smirk towards Jaune that laid out her intentions quite clearly. "Why don't we have Lover Boy here stay with her? He was the one who brought it up, after all. And that way we'll both be missing our leaders, so we'll even out!"

Weiss went to protest but she was quickly drowned out by everyone agreeing with Yang. All she could do was stare down at the ground, her hands balling up into fists.

Weiss hated democracy.

Jaune watched as they all boarded the airship with slightly smaller smiles than had been adorning their faces before he spoke up. They all said there goodbyes, and right before the airship doors closed he saw Yang mouth something that made him shudder.

The implications were infinite, the very suggestion they spoke shook him to the core of his being. 

_ "You two owe me." _

He was convinced of two things.

One being that whatever Yang asked for down the line would undoubtedly  _ suck so much. _

Two being that she was aware of something that he was not. Had she so much foresight? Was she simply far more observant than he gave her credit for?

Ruby had seemed to grow more and more nervous with every day leading up to this one. But he had attributed that to nerves.

After all, this was the first time they would truly have a whole day alone together. But in all their talks for plans, they had just mentioned the basic things. Video games, movies, cuddles…

What was it they could possibly get up to all alone that could make her feel so nervous and unsure-

_ Oh. _

_ Oh gods. _

He was suddenly a  _ lot _ more nervous.

One thing was for sure, he would need to take a trip to get a little something before he went back to the dorm.

* * *

Ruby couldn't help it. Or at the very least that's how she justified it. She couldn't help it. That's just the way it was.

It started with the normal spreading warmth, then the growing lust, the fire in her stomach… It started how it always started, and now she was rubbing her thighs together on her boyfriend's bed trying her hardest to purge any and all lewd thoughts from her mind.

It really wasn't working.

She bit her lip as she looked back down at her Scroll.

Twenty minutes. She had been waiting for twenty minutes. Twenty. Long. Agonizing. Cruel minutes.

_ 'Argh! What's taking so long!? Did he ditch me and go with them or something!?' _

She knew for a fact he wouldn't do something like that, and under normal circumstances the idea wouldn't have even entered her head. But she was currently waging a war with herself that she was very much losing at an astonishing rate.

She blamed Jaune for this.

It was all his fault. Him and his stupid, dumb… cute boyness!

Again, she knew that there was so much more to it than that. But in truth, he  _ was _ mostly to blame for her sexual awakening.

Life was so much easier when all she cared about was scythes. And guns.

Gunscythes.

Back then she didn't have to worry about feeling like she was going to go mad if she didn't masturbate, back then she didn't need to worry about the purity of her own thoughts. She knew what her life was.

But now she was in a constant state of discovering new things about herself and a world that never seemed to slow down enough for her to catch her breath.

Sex and everything related to it was… dumb. And stupid. And she really hated it.

Except that she didn't because it felt  _ amazing _ and gah!

She tossed this way and that, rustling the fitted sheet off of the mattress which she promptly fixed because she wasn't a barbarian.

She needed to do something. She needed to clear her head. She needed relief like never before, and before she even knew what was happening she gasped out in pleasure.

And then shock.

When had she put her hand down there? Even more, how the heck did she not notice?

She pulled her hand away as if she had nearly been caught stealing from the cookie jar, a knee-jerk reaction that sent panic through her chest.

Though, in doing so she realized one thing.  _ Her fingers were wet. _

Now she was just frustrated. But that frustration could be  _ eased _ quite  _ easily _ if she just took it  _ easy  _ and…

_ 'Oh, f-fuck.' _

Her hand was placed right back where it was previously, her fingers working through her clothing with desperation. She didn't want to be caught with her pants down, so to speak, so she settled.

But settling was difficult when you were thirsty and someone was offering you merely an ounce of the water your body craved.

Her fingers pressed roughly into the crotch of her pajama pants, and her body tensed as she remembered; she had no underwear on. 

She usually slept in underwear just to avoid any accidental slip ups, since she wore her pajamas often around her friends. But she hadn't bothered this time.

And the reason why was currently taking his sweet ass time getting back!

She sighed as she relaxed herself, finding it easy to release all of her frustration as her fingers began to rub and apply just the perfect amount of pressure.

She didn't have the precision she would have if she had just stuck her hands inside of her pants, but she was already pushing her luck. She was on Jaune' bed, in his team's dorm… the more she thought about it the more she felt weird about it.

This was wrong. It would be one thing if Jaune were here and they were… doing stuff. But she was alone, and her train of thought was starting to creep her out.

At the same time, it was actually kinda hot.

Lost in her own thoughts, again, Ruby hadn't noticed the door open. Likewise, she didn't notice it close.

Jaune stood frozen at the sight of her. His face quickly grew hot, the rest of him followed soon after. He just stood there watching as her chest rose and fell underneath the single layer of her tank top.

His eyes scanned over her bare arms, reaching the hands that kept trailing over her body. One dipped below, between her thighs. One at her chest, roaming and caressing at her own discretion.

She moaned and he felt his knees grow weak.

The sound was music to his ears. Music he had never thought he would ever hear prior to that day in her dorm, when she let him touch her chest.

The sounds she made then had been much more subdued than the ones flitting from between her lips now.

They had made strides in their friendship. They had really come far.

But seeing her like this was blowing his mind.  _ Seeing _ her doing such things for the first time...

There were times over the last three weeks where he would realize that she was touching herself while they were talking over text, and no doubt she had noticed him doing the same. When they would share images and videos, discuss certain...  _ things.  _ There would always be moments where replies would fall to an unsteady pace, or one of them would go radio silent for however long it took and come back with an excuse. An excuse that both of them knew the other saw through as if it were glass.

Seeing it, however, was very different.

He was stiff, and this time not where one would think. He couldn't move, so afraid of making even a small noise to alert her to his presence. He knew it was wrong to just stand and stare, but fear held him steady.

Until he involuntarily cleared his throat.

He went pale, but ultimately didn't move a muscle. His blood went ice cold, and a sense of danger filled him. He knew that Ruby was okay with him seeing her breasts. He had seen her in just underwear before as well.

But he had no idea if seeing her in such a private moment was okay or not. The fear that it wouldn't be okay threatened to make him flee the scene as quickly as possible, but he wasn't a coward. At least, not when it came to Ruby. The most compassionate, caring and understanding girl he had ever met and possibly  _ would  _ ever meet in his lifetime.

She had almost reacted the way he expected she would, tossing all of his irrational fears aside. Thankfully, however, much like the day it all began, she didn't scream.

She yelped.

Falling off the bed with a massively loud thud, Ruby scrambled to her feet, her heart racing a million miles an hour.

There were many things that ran through her mind at that moment. Mostly  _ 'what'  _ and  _ 'where am I'  _ but also  _ 'oh my god what the heck am I doing?!' _

"Jaune! You're back!" Ruby shouted enthusiastically to hide the guilt in her voice. Her mind had swam quickly through as many solutions to the situation as it could but she ultimately settled on pretending that nothing had ever happened. "So how did it go? A-are they gone?"

A classic tactic to be sure, one that, had she pulled earlier down the line, might have actually worked. But things were different now. Between them especially.

If there was one thing Jaune had learned from living with seven sisters, and in sharing a dorm with three other people who seemed to have a much stronger grip on their lives than he felt he ever would, it was that running from things like this meant making it more awkward in the long run.

How many times had he walked in on his sister's doing something that was meant to be private? How many boys and girls had he walked in on his sisters kissing? How many embarrassing items had he found by accident in drawers and hidden compartments?

He had always simply talked to them. They had always insisted, because leaving things awkward was never a good thing for any relationship.

But Jaune knew that talking wasn't what was needed, or wanted in this specific scenario. No… If they were ever going to move past this, he needed to take the chance. Here. Now. This was the moment he needed to make his move, to take things into his own hand. 

Ruby wanted him, he was sure of that fact. It was quite clear, the more he thought about it. All the signs pointed to her wanting to go all the way.  _ Today. _

"Was I really gone  _ that _ long?" Jaune asked, putting on an awkward yet amused smile. It was gentle, his expression, which made Ruby pause.

She had expected anger, or at the very least a lot of awkward stuttering and deflecting from the both of them. His smile, however, put her frayed nerves at ease almost instantly. The humor of his words took a few moments of silence to reach her, but eventually she started to chuckle, rubbing at har arm as if she were suddenly bashful.

She took a seat back down on his bed, knowing that, at the very least the atmosphere wasn't going to be oppressive and weird. She was safe here. Even if she  _ had _ been caught doing something very unladylike and honestly pretty not cool in terms of what was socially acceptable to do on another person's bed...

That feeling of safety only grew as he took a seat beside her.

They sat in silence for a bit, Jaune letting Ruby get a grip on her mental faculties. He knew the poor girl needed it.

But eventually the time came to speak. Both of them knew quite well that they were just wasting time if they kept the silence up. They didn't plan this big scheme just to sit in silence for hours.

It was Jaune who spoke first, much to Ruby's happiness. She wasn't sure if it was right for her to be the one to broach the topic considering she was the one who had got caught red handed.

"So, do you wanna talk about what just happened? I'm totally okay with not discussing it if you don't want to," he said, his hand moving on autopilot to grab at hers. It cradled hers warmly, making her chest feel light and her head all fuzzy.

She cuddled into his side, finding the strength to speak in his readily accepted embrace.

"We can talk about it," Ruby said simply, her heart picking up slightly. She knew better than to be afraid anymore, but the subject matter was something that made her nervous.

Silly. It was silly that it made her nervous when the whole reason she had planned this day was to…

"Right," Jaune said with a smile. He threw something over on top of his pillow. A plastic bag, unmarked. Ruby hadn't even noticed that he was carrying anything.

She fought the curiosity bubbling inside of her to check it out, and merely stayed beside him. He sighed and relaxed, a smile forming on his face.

"Well, first thing's first…" Jaune continued on, pausing briefly to shift further onto the bed. Ruby gave a cry of surprise as he grabbed her and firmly but gently pulled her close to him. She was almost sitting on his lap in their new position, his arms wrapped around her stomach and his chin resting on her shoulder. She could feel his hot breath hitting her ear. She shivered at the feeling. "What were you thinking about?" he asked with a smile.

Ruby grew lightheaded almost instantly. Pressed up against him like she was, in such a vulnerable position; being asked something like  _ that. _ She had spirals in her eyes for sure, swaying to and fro briefly before getting a grip and preventing herself from fainting. This was not what she had in mind when he said to talk about it.

But if this is what he wanted, she was fine with it. This was something new. Something  _ exciting. _

Warmth spread through her stomach again, and a familiar wetness was coming back. She had been knocked out of her mood when he stumbled in on her, but this turn of events was bringing her back quickly.

"I was… thinking of you," she admitted. There was probably a blush on her face, but it was strange to think that she wasn't blushing because of her admission. They had long since grown out of blushing at silly things like children, at least when it came to things like this.

"Tell me what you were thinking about specifically," he said, his voice soft and full of want. 

_ 'Now this is just unfair,' _ Ruby thought. She pressed her back hard into his chest, feeling her stomach jump flips at the way he squeezed her so tightly. "No matter what I say, you'll be okay with it?"

"I promise I will, you could say anything right now and I wouldn't judge you for it. Nothing is going to drive us apart either," he assured. As if to drive his point home, he grabbed her hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

She relaxed. This was a safe space for both of them. No judgement, no fear… She could be as dirty as she wanted and he wouldn't think of her any differently.

With a sigh she began her confession. "I was thinking of us… having sex. I think about that a lot. I was trying my hardest to imagine what your… c-cock would feel like inside me. Inside my p-... my pussy." She breathed the words out shakily, but it felt good to get them out. She felt silly stuttering out words she had written out many times before to him.

But there was a mental block. It was surprisingly hard to say such things to him directly. She couldn't even describe the feeling it gave her if she tried. It wasn't embarrassing, exactly. Just different. 

"How often have you thought about it?" he asked, egging her on to continue. He relished in the simple feeling of her breathing against him.

She was alive and well and safe in his arms, and he was lucky enough to be here with her in such a private and exhilarating moment.

This was for them.

Just them.

"So much. I've thought about it so much. Ever since the library. I can't get the feeling out of my head, I can't get that  _ kiss _ out of my head. It was really hot watching you cum, I want to see the face you made again. I want to hear you next time, though. I want to be alone, and I want to be the only thing you're focused on and I know it sounds greedy but-" she gasped out, her sudden influx of words being cut off by Jaune's hand finding the space just above her crotch. 

But it dipped no lower.

Her pants were wet. There was absolutely no hiding that she was absolutely loving this, even if she wanted to. He knew now just what effect he was having on her body.

"You just have to ask," he said, placing something in her lap.

She looked down in a daze at the plastic bag and wasted no time in reaching inside. She knew what it was as soon as her hands touched the box.

Condoms. He had taken so long to get back because he was buying condoms. She wanted to laugh, but she was far too lost in the haze of pleasure and lust to do so. She knew she had forgotten something, and she was suddenly really glad he took so long getting back.

There was no reason to deny it. She wanted him. She wanted him badly. They were alone now, they had time, they had protection. There was no excuse, it was  _ time. _

But first… she wanted to even the score.

"Jaune," she whined, grabbing the hand between her thighs by the wrist. "In the library, you came but I didn't. Even though I… Well, I guess I didn't get to ask exactly. I want you to make me cum, first. Before we do it."

She guided his hand upwards, and then began to push it down, his fingers hitting the hem of her pants. The hem gave way, slipping over his fingers as she slid him inside, gasping out as his fingers came to rest on her pussy directly.

"I suppose that's only fair," Jaune stated softly with an amused grin, lovingly kissing her neck as his fingers began to slowly glide over her lower lips, tracing her entrance with building excitement. "I guess I do owe you one."

"J-just one. Right there, keep doing that." She moaned, her body randomly shaking once, twice… The new sensation was almost too much to handle. "After I cum… We'll be even. We can have a lot more fun," she said with a sly smile.

This side of Ruby was new. It was still growing, still budding like, well, a rose in bloom.

She had said plenty of dirty things to him before. But he had never  _ heard _ them. He had never heard that  _ tone. _ Gods, the way she basically  _ purred _ those words out. One would think she was a cat Faunus.

The way her voice dipped, the way she whispered and gasped and shivered as his hands amateurishly explored her pussy made him fall in love with her in an entirely different way than he already had.

Ruby bit her lip as Jaune's fingers spread her open with his index and ring fingers, using his middle to probe around until he found her opening.

"Is this alright?" Jaune asked, careful not to push in too deep until he had express consent. 

"Y-yes, yes! Keep going! P-please…" Ruby begged, her toes curling and uncurling as her legs constantly shifted their positions. She couldn't hold still.

Jaune found it to be extremely cute. And  _ really _ hot.

He obeyed her pleas, pushing his middle finger deeper into her wet core until he was in past the first knuckle. It was when he reached the second that Ruby grabbed his hand.

She turned her head slightly to give him an almost pleading look. When he realized this, he nearly pulled out. She just kept a tight hold, keeping him there.

"Jaune, I just… I really want you to know that…" She sighed. "I know this is probably really stupid to worry about, especially right now. But I want you to know that you  _ are _ my first, okay? I just… you know… don't know what you're expecting..."

It took a tiny bit for him to realize what she was getting at, but when realization dawned he just chuckled. Which caused her to pout.

"Ruby, I wouldn't have even thought like that," Jaune assured her with a smile. "But, if we're saying obvious things now, you're my first as well. If… you hadn't picked up on that over the last few months."

Ruby breathed in deep before letting it out in a somewhat stifled gasp. Jaune began again, his finger dipping in as deep as it could go. Ruby's grip remained tight on his hand, almost as if she refused to let go.

She was trying her hardest to breathe normally, but all she could get out were pants and gasps.

It felt so different having someone else do it. Almost too different. It was a bit overwhelming.

Jaune loved the feeling of having her so close to him. The position they were in was so intimate, the way her chest raised and lowered as she breathed fitfully, the way she would push back against him and squirm in such an erotic manner when his finger hit just the right spot…

He had been trying to hold it back, but then he supposed holding back your body from having a natural reaction never worked for too long.

It wasn't long before Ruby realized.

She smirked, looking back up at him in the same way she had a moment ago. "Did I do that? Or was it something else?" 

Her tone was halfway to teasing, but he could tell there was a bit of unrestrained pride in it that she couldn't hide. It was something he couldn't fault her for. He felt how wet he was making her. It felt good to make someone aroused. To know that someone was so attracted to you.

"You," he replied almost bashfully. "Always you." Ruby didn't bother to hide the big smile on her face after he said it. Nor did she bother to hide the somewhat loud moan that followed.

"Y-you know just what to say to make a girl weak in the knees, don't you Jaune?" Ruby asked playfully, her legs pulling inward just a little as he began to quicken his finger work.

"No, just speaking the truth," he said, his own breathing growing noticeably more heavy.

Ruby's chest felt so tight, constricting further and further as Jaune continued pumping his finger into her pussy. She wanted to keep talking, but her body refused her. Her heart had skipped from what Jaune had said, and it hadn't stopped skipping.

She couldn't exhale. Her body just refused to let her. So she kept building air in her lungs until she finally found the strength to force it out in a sigh of pleasure.

Every second that ticked by her body seemed to grow even more out of control, her breathing becoming more and more shallow. Her hands grabbed at him however they could, her nails digging into his skin and leaving slight scratches.

As the pleasure continued to build, all from just one finger, her voice also grew louder. She still needed to worry about being too loud, but at the very least she was free to let Jaune know  _ exactly _ how she was feeling.

She had felt like moaning back then in the library, to exaggerate just a little. It had been a very strong feeling. But now she knew just how little exaggerating she would actually have to do.

It came as natural as breathing.

In the moment she felt wonderful. Absolutely amazing. Every little touch, every little push inside of her; everything he was doing to her manifested in moans and purrs and gasps and whatever else could be used to express that he was making her feel  _ good. _

But really, for all the amazing things she had to say about it all, she felt like something was missing.

It didn't feel like that for long.

Jaune's thumb found her clit. She threw her head back against his chest and inhaled sharply, letting it out a second later in a small whine. Her body felt glued to his, frozen and paralyzed.

"W-warn me before you just do that next time, I'm really…" Ruby's words fizzled out, her lips quivering as she felt like she was teetering on the edge of a precipice. Jaune had stopped moving his fingers, and his thumb was torturously hovering right over her sweet spot.

"Sensitive?" Jaune continued, a stupidly big and dopey grin on his face. He wanted to laugh, but held it in.

"Yes… I mean, I just don't think my body is entirely used to this yet. I don't really touch there too much when I, um…" Ruby shook her head, wanting to just bury herself in a hole.

Jaune found it adorable. Soon enough this would all become so easy for them, just like everything else had become. But then, this  _ was _ easy for him. He couldn't imagine how it must be for her, being the center of his attention like she was. If their roles were reversed he would probably be the same awkward guy he always was.

"I understand," Jaune said, moving to kiss her on the neck. "I'm gonna keep going."

She tilted her head to give him easier access, and nodded quickly, her body tensing up as she felt his thumb return right back to her clit and his finger resume its pumping motion.

She welcomed him back with a desperate moan, her hands once again grabbing at his arm or the sheets below them.

She knew it wouldn't take much longer. She didn't have the longest fuse, and that was all her own personal experience. She was in uncharted territory with Jaune, she figured it would end faster than it ever had when she was by herself.

And for some reason she was a little bit self conscious about that. Would he find that attractive at all? If it took so little to set her off, to make her cum?

That was not an attractive quality in men apparently, and it was often something they were made fun of for online because it exploited all of the insecurities that trolls looked for; she had even seen Yang make a subtle joke about it at a male friend's expense one time or another.

It was not something Ruby was concerned about with Jaune. They were new to this, and she had done what research she felt comfortable doing. She expected it to be quick, to not last but a fraction of the time they probably would wish it would.

But did Jaune expect differently?

_ Oh gods, what if he was turned off by it. _

A very strong twitch knocked her out of her thoughts, Jaune's lips softly placing a gentle kiss in a ticklish spot on her neck. She giggled, playfully swatting his head away.

It was the small things like that that reminded her that she was thinking too much into this. Jaune would never in a million years think about her in a bad light.

She had things about herself she didn't like, just as much as anyone else. But they were qualities that Jaune appreciated, or often never paid attention to.

To think that he would think of a short fuse in bed as a negative quality was just dumb.

So she relaxed against him and let her mind rest as well. But relaxing was hard to do when the man you loved so dearly had his finger inside of you and his thumb on your 'twitch' button. Apparently.

She gently placed her teeth on her bottom lip, fighting back against the urge to bite down. Jaune had tried his best to get her to stop, but the urge resurfaced whenever she was feeling good.

The last time she pleasured herself in the shower she drew blood. Later in the day Jaune had gotten onto her. Softly, but still. He had taken a tone with her that made her think he was going to spank her for a moment.

She almost wished he did.

Ruby's eyes flew wide open as she felt him tease another finger. She couldn't stop herself from biting down.

"Jaune, fuck… fuck, no. No, nonono! I don't think I can take two right now! I'll absolutely lose my mind!" Ruby warned in rushed whispers. Her breathing hitched, her voice stuck in her throat as she tried to protest harder. 

"So is that a no? I thought the goal here was to make you cum so we could move on to bigger and better things."

There was silence as he continued teasing her with the inclusion of another digit. He had slowed down to a speed that was absolute torture to her. She both hated and adored being at his mercy like she was.

"It's just- I was enjoying this! That's all!" She puffed out her chest as if to prove that that was indeed the only reason.

"You're not saying no," he teased, moving his free hand to caress her chest. She let out a squeak, barely able to contain herself at his sudden, though gentle, attack.

"That's- I mean, I've never used- Jaune… Just do it!" She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as Jaune, on command, slowly introduced the second finger alongside the first.

Ruby was surprised when it basically just slipped right in. Her eyes opened as even more pleasure threw her for a loop.

She had expected a little bit of resistance at the very least. She was slightly confused, but she wasn't about to ask questions. Not when she was so close…

Jaune began to pump his fingers into her faster than he had before, thumbing at her clit while he did so. His lips found her neck again, but this time his free hand began to play with her breasts.

He was putting everything he had into making this as enjoyable as possible for her. She hadn't expected this kind of intensity from him. But she could feel how hard he was. Maybe she  _ should _ have expected it.

The way he was playing with her it was like he couldn't get enough. His mouth hungrily sought out more and more of her skin to mark red, his hand reached under her tank to pinch and pull at her breasts, his fingers and his thumb worked in overdrive.

He got faster and faster, and her body could barely take it. Twitch after twitch, moan after moan; she had never experienced any feeling that came close to this heaven.

"Jaune, I'm getting close," she called out, nails digging into the bed sheets. She wondered if he had even heard her, but her answer came in the form of him biting down, marking her skin with more than just the usual red.

_ That _ certainly wouldn't go away within the hour. No, that was there to stay for a week at least. The thought of him having marked her like that, as if he were claiming ownership… she should have hated it but it was  _ hot. _

So hot that it was the final bit of straw that broke the camel's back. 

"Jaune I- I'm-" Her mouth opened wide but no sound came. She, however, did.

Her body shook, her toes curling and unfurling rapidly as her legs pushed out and pulled in. Her hands grabbed and scratched, and her eyes closed tight. 

She breathed in and out at a worrying pace as Jaune kept going, not stopping even as the spasms wrecking her body slowed to a stop.

By the time she was done she was a sweating mess, panting in exhaustion and relief. 

Jaune finally pulled his hand out of her pants and moved it to wrap around her belly along with the other. His lips moved to kiss at her cheek lightly as he embraced her.

She couldn't find even the will to speak, with how much energy she had left. She wanted to pass out, she had never had an orgasm so big.

Even still, she found the strength to lift her arm up and place a hand on his cheek. A small gesture, but one she felt inclined to do.

After a few moments, she pushed herself up and out of his arms. Taking a deep breath, she stretched, raising her top just enough to reveal her midriff briefly before she lowered her arms.

She looked back to see Jaune stealing glimpses of all her revealed skin.

She smiled.

She felt so relaxed and refreshed, but her energy levels were much lower than before. She hoped she still had enough.

Jaune sent her a smile in return, adoring the ethereal look she had about her after such an intense moment. Her afterglow was affecting him second hand, it seemed. He as well looked tired and a little bit out of it, though Ruby couldn't be sure if that wasn't just her sudden lackadaisical mood influencing and distorting her perception.

She needed to shake herself out of it. She knew that what came next was important to their relationship. It was the last big step they needed to take. Or at the very least, it was the last one for a very long time.

And that was even if it lasted…

But no. She refused to think like that. Ruby Rose was not a pessimist, she believed in happiness and goodness, choosing to not give thought to the negatives. If she chose to put more emphasis on the positives, they would leave a bigger and longer lasting impact.

She would not let this opportunity go to waste. This was all for one thing, one final goal. This was to grow closer to Jaune Arc.

And in that regard… she supposed it was time. She was going to say it. She was going to tell him how she felt.

Afterwards.

She turned to face him and began to crawl, almost seductively. Which was an achievement for her, she would later think. As soon as she got close enough, she pushed him back onto the mattress with a single finger until he was flat on his back.

It was something she had seen in a video once, and he definitely seemed to appreciate it.

"Jaune," she started, moving to straddle his hips. She stared down at him before removing her top, not bothering to take it slow after all of the what could basically be considered foreplay they did. "I'm ready, I think…"

"You know, I don't think that counts," he chuckled. His hands found her hips before moving softly upwards. He held both of his palms flat against her belly, loving the simple act of touching her, of feeling her warmth. "Are you really ready? I need you to say it clearly."

Ruby felt a lot more calm and clear headed, and a lot less anxious about everything to come.

There was a feeling like she had passed through the storm and lived. It was the feeling you got in your stomach when a rollercoaster finally stopped and your feet found solid ground, or at the very least it was similar.

Emboldened by the previous experience, Ruby placed her hands on his chest before swiping  _ his _ away dramatically, pinning them down above his head afterwards as she dipped her own down to kiss him.

It was a sweet, tender kiss. Not too much, not too little. She knew it wouldn't serve as an assurance, but it felt natural. When she pushed away from him she laughed at the expression on his face. It seemed like her kisses would always catch him off guard at least a little bit.

Which was fair, considering that they hadn't kissed too terribly often since the first time.

"I'm ready, Jaune." More ready than she ever would be again, she felt.

Maybe there were a million other moments to come that would be better for it, but it felt right in the present. Right enough for Ruby to feel that she was making the correct choice.

There were no grand and sweeping romantic gestures that kicked this off. It just turned out this way.

That was enough for her.

They had been blindly fumbling through everything but now they knew what they wanted, and they knew how to get it too.

She didn't give him any chance to respond before she stole another kiss, this one, however, was a lot more intense.

She smirked through the kiss as Jaune struggled against her, trying to free himself. He was stronger than she was, but she had the upper hand and she knew it. He was far too distracted by her lips to manage to do anything but put up the most meager of resistances.

It was even worse when she slipped her tongue in.

She let out a soft moan as his own tongue quickly joined in, meeting her own with a ferocity that she hadn't been expecting. It was almost enough to make her grip weaken.

Almost.

Jaune bucked his hips upwards, his crotch meeting with Ruby's and causing her to tense up and pull away. Her eyes fluttered open, her face as red as her namesake.

"That wasn't very fair, you know," Jaune playfully chided, finally managing to wrest his hands from her hold.

"Pfft, all's fair in love and war!" She flicked her eyes down to his hoodie, licking her lips subtly.

Taking the hint, Jaune raised slightly and took it off, baring his chest to the girl and putting them on somewhat even ground.

"And which one would this be?"

"Take the rest off, and then maybe you'll find out…"

Jaune didn't waste any time, quickly throwing off his shoes, socks and jeans until all he had on was a pair of boxers. 

Ruby had watched him strip with eyes full of curiosity and hunger, taking in every single movement as he made them. She was seeing more of him than ever before, and all that stood between both of them now were two articles of clothing.

It was kind of unfair, honestly. Ruby was far more covered than he was, a fact that she was very, very aware of as she all but stared at his legs.

They were nice legs.

How could someone who was so lanky become such a…  _ hunk? _

Ruby didn't realize she was drooling until Jaune snapped her out of it with a bashful laugh. Or was it a nervous laugh? Ruby couldn't tell.

But it was probably a nervous one, because almost immediately after the legs her attention was caught by something else.

_ The bulge in his boxers. _

Oh yeah. She had somehow forgotten about that.

Right away she was taken by the size. He wasn't… massive. That definitely eased her mind a little. He also didn't seem as big as she expected him to be for someone so tall.

But there was not a single shred of disappointment. It was still  _ Jaune. _ That was all that mattered to her. That was why she had chosen to go through all of this with him in the first place, because he was her best friend. Because she _ loved  _ him.

Things like size were utterly pointless in the grand scheme of things.

She crawled forward, reaching out to grab ahold of the hem of his boxers before looking him in the eye. He just looked away and nodded, but she couldn't blame him for that.

She pulled them down until they got stuck on his erection, and she watched as his face twitched the tiniest bit.

Carefully she pulled downward until he was free before throwing his boxers to the side. Her gaze lingered on his cock, and her first instinct was to reach out and touch it, but she kept her hands to herself out of fear that she would somehow mess things up.

Jaune didn't say anything, but eventually he did turn to look at her. He was surprised by a kiss once again, his eyes going as wide as dinner plates.

Ruby pulled away quickly, leaving his lips feeling cold and wanting. It was a far cry from the last passionate kiss, but it was just a distraction. She wanted to pull him out of the thoughts she knew were bogging him down.

"I love it," she whispered. It wasn't a lie. It truly was the right size for her. It wasn't intimidating, it looked like the perfect fit. If she knew her body half as well as she should have anyway.

Jaune let out a gasp as he felt her hand grasp onto him firmly. In that same instance, she pushed her lips into his, launching back into the same passionate fare they delved into just moments ago.

His lips no longer felt cold.

Her hand tightened by a small amount, and he pulled away from the kiss slightly to gasp. He moaned, his lips quivering as she slowly, carefully started to pleasure him.

Ruby felt light in the head, a reaction to that wonderful noise. She was barely able to believe this was actually happening. So far it was nothing, she was just paying him back for what he did earlier. Just a little bit of priming before the main event. But this felt significant. Big.

She needed to focus, though. She needed to do a good job. 

If she thought about it like she was taking care of a weapon, or something in that vein, if she wanted to get the best performance, she had to make sure it was in the best cond-

Ugh.  _ 'Gods, that is NOT a sexy thought. Why do you always have to be such a dork?'  _

She pulled away from the kiss, looking down to get a better view of just what she was doing. "I-is this okay? Am I doing good?"

"Yeah, it's… it's good. Keep going." He closed his eyes, leaning back to enjoy the feeling.

She dared to increase her pace just slightly to see if she could get a reaction out of him, cheering on the inside when he moaned once again.

This was good, she was making him feel good! That was the goal, so if she just kept this up for however long this lasted she could call this whole thing a success!

Easy peasy!

Well,  _ maybe  _ easy peasy.

Her eyes fell on the box of condoms that still lay on the bed, and her hand slowed as she remembered that this was not, in fact, all that there was to this.

Jaune opened his eyes, feeling her grip falter. He knew that there must have been a reason, and as his eyes trailed to where hers led he understood.

He had also kind of forgotten, the thought being pushed aside no doubt from the intense kisses and the handjob.

It was a bit strange considering he was entirely naked at this point. But they had mostly been playing this off like every other time, every other  _ experiment. _

But experiments were over and done with. They were about to hit the top. Anything past that would be a completely new category of experimentation.

"Jaune, do you still wanna-" Ruby was cut off. For once she was the one to be surprised by a kiss, his tongue lashing out at hers violently. It was a bit too enthusiastic, but Ruby enjoyed it nonetheless.

In fact she enjoyed it so much that by the time he pulled away her head was absolutely spinning, and her hand had stopped pumping entirely.

"Yes," Jaune answered, knowing exactly what her question was going to be. "I'm enjoying this, but… I want to go further."

They  _ could _ just leave it off with a handjob, they both realized. That would be another experiment complete. But they  _ both _ craved something more than this.

They probably wouldn't get the time again for a long while, anyway. And Jaune didn't want the awkward moment he shared with the girl working at the pharmacy to be for naught.

"Okay," Ruby breathed out, letting go of Jaune entirely. "How do you wanna…?"

They both lingered for a moment in the in-between, unsure of just how to proceed. The thought of it was easy, in theory they should have had no issues. But it seemed that bringing yourself to push past the gap that the mind had a habit of forming was harder than either of them had thought it would be.

"I guess we can just start with protection and then, uh, go from there?" Jaune retrieved the box and opened it, trying to calm the shaking that threatened to consume him.

He carefully ripped open one of the square packages and slipped the condom on without fumbling too terribly much, but the second he looked up he felt his heart stop.

Ruby was now completely naked, very much leaving them on equal ground.

He was stunned silent. How had he not noticed her take her pants off? Moreover, how had he never noticed how absolutely  _ lovely _ her thighs were?

Ruby, feeling small and vulnerable under his gaze, bit her tongue lightly. Just to avoid her lip. She couldn't help but look away from him. "You know, I usually don't mind you staring, but… it feels kind of weird when I'm not wearing anything."

"Ruby…" Jaune motioned to himself, prompting her to laugh.

"Shush! I know, it's just, you know… I'm not even sure Yang's seen me naked. You know, not counting when we were children. This is just really new to me." Ruby gave a small pout. Jaune thought it was adorable.

He didn't expect her to just acclimate to the whole experience, he himself was still mentally preparing himself for the inevitable. He appreciated how clearly she was showing her feelings on the matter, and he let it be known by taking her by the hand.

She looked back to him and let herself be pulled into his arms. He was warm, and it felt nice to be against him, exposed as they were.

There was nothing separating them, no layers to get between. She had never felt closer to him, but she was sure that what was to follow would shatter the feeling in so many different ways.

Leaning her head to the side, she kissed him like his lips were water in an oasis. Pure, unfiltered affection and adoration shone through clear as a cloudless and sunny day.

If there were ever any doubts, they were smashed away in that instance. Jaune knew, and so did she. It was meant to be.

Neither wanted to pull away, and neither did. It seemed to both of them to be hours before they managed to get away from the other's lips. But even then the hot sting that remained burned from the passion and love that lingered, ever present from now til forever.

"Well, you certainly seem to be ready," Ruby said shyly, her eyes moving to the side. She could feel Jaune against her thigh, hot, hard. She remembered how he felt in her hand, how she could feel every heartbeat.

"It's your fault." Jaune smiled playfully, giving her a teasing look. She returned the look with one of her own, but it was less playful and more…  _ salacious  _ in nature _. _

Her eyes were half-lidded, her lips upturned into an ever so slight smile. He could clearly see the lust in her beautiful eyes, and he shivered because of how raw it was.

"I think I know how I wanna do it now," she whispered in a low tone of voice. She moved carefully, placing her hands on both of his shoulders and lifting herself up.

His eyes remained glued to hers, even as her hand reached down to grip him. Even as she lowered. Even as his cock teased at her entrance.

"Ruby," he mumbled. He only wanted to say her name. "Ruby…" His hands found her hips as she eased down, fully taking him to the base. She moaned out low in his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Her hands found the back of his head, grabbing gentle handfuls of hair.

She always loved his hair. Loose and free. Messy, some would say. But she didn't view it like that.

Jaune wasn't the most well put together person, but then neither was she, or any of their friends for that matter. What he was, however, in her eyes at least, was a man who was honest, hard working. Dorky in all the best ways.

He was true to himself, loyal to those he cared about. Even if he was made weak and powerless in a situation, he still stood up for anyone he felt was worth it.

And here recently, she had begun to find her freedom in him.

Sure, at fifteen she had made her choices and had begun to forge her own path in life, but it never really felt like she was as free as any adult was. It never really felt like she had found the freedom that Yang had. That Weiss and Blake had.

The freedom of feeling like you could  _ truly _ do anything you wanted, of feeling like you could  _ accomplish _ anything you wanted. Of setting out on your own and making something of your life.

But Jaune gave her that feeling.

Getting to come to Beacon early was purely circumstantial. Ozpin's decision was an offer she couldn't refuse. It was a no brainer to accept, but because of how it happened she didn't feel like she had that much control over the situation.

Sure, she could have said no, could have stayed at Signal for two more years. But why on Remnant would she have done that?

At the very least, with how things were with Jaune, she felt like all the time she had spent at Beacon were leading to even greater horizons. Not just a future as a Huntress… but a future as a Huntress _with_ _Jaune_ _by her side._

She had made the decision to experiment, to see how things would evolve in their relationship entirely on her own. Decided to pursue him, and see where her feelings would take her.

It paid off in spades.

Jaune's fingers dug into her flesh, drawing out a shaky moan as she adjusted to the feeling of having him inside of her.

It was nice, but different.

She had never used any toys before, so she had no real frame of reference. She knew what fingers felt like, and that was the extent of her knowledge. This was very much different from a finger or two in every way.

"You feel good," Jaune said softly, moving his hands from her hips to her sides before snaking them around her and pulling her chest into his.

They were so close like this. Jaune was thankful that this was how Ruby decided to do it. He couldn't imagine doing it in a way that felt impersonal or mostly charged with lust for their first time.

"Y-you do too…" Her hot breath collided with his skin, making his embrace tighten.

They stayed like this for a good while, just relishing in the closeness. Neither said a word, just letting their bodies communicate in a way that was entirely new to them.

But after a while, the urge to move became too strong to fight against, and Ruby's heart fluttered as she rose up slightly, and then dropped.

The both of them nearly threw their heads back in response to the overwhelming wave that hit them, as if a force pushed them to move their bodies in some way lest they be overtaken.

The feeling of Jaune's cock hitting her deeper than she could ever have reached with just her fingers was heaven, but it was a lot less intense in pleasure than she was expecting it to be. What made it intense was the surge of electricity that came with doing it with  _ Jaune. _ Although she couldn’t deny that she far preferred this to anytime she was by herself.

Emotionally charged as every movement was, they had to take a moment between every rise and fall that Ruby did to just breathe.

But breathing was hard to pull off when every single twitch brought some kind of new sensation along with it.

"I'm… gonna start going faster," Ruby said, her voice cracking as Jaune's fingernails dug slightly into her back. It was a little painful, but not in a way that was unwelcome.

She would have to take note of that feeling…

But for now, she only focused on Jaune as he nodded his head, his eyes shut tight as he nuzzled into her chest.

Taking that as the only affirmation she needed, she shifted until she was in a better position to start moving at a faster pace, only stopping briefly when she felt him shiver and kiss at her flushed skin.

Letting out an unsteady breath, she rose until the tip of his cock was all that remained inside, and then descended with a strained moan. This time, however, she didn't stop the motion, instead keeping it up and building a very unsure and unconfident rhythm.

But her confidence rose considerably when Jaune started to breathe heavily into her flesh.

He pulled away from her slightly, allowing himself to finally look her in the eyes as she kept her pace going strong. So far she was doing all the work, but the look in her own eyes kicked him into action.

"Fuck, Ruby, I…" He tried to say anything else, but his mind was quickly escaping him. It was getting too hard to think, like every word flowing through his brain was a grain of sand slipping through his fingers.

In the absence of thought he chose action, his hands moving to find a suitable spot. Settling on a nice handful of her wonderful ass, he began to thrust, his hips meeting with hers in an arrhythmic manner that nearly brought her to a complete stop.

She yelped out a breathy, pitchy mess of a sound that spurred him onwards.

There was no longer only the sound of hushed gasps and silent pleas in the room. Now there echoed sounds of pleasure, and skin meeting skin.

Still, they were bound by inexperience. Unable to reach the heights they so desperately sought. It was only by pushing onwards that they managed to find steady ground to stand on.

The steady ground was Jaune leaning forward, all but pushing Ruby down into his mattress. She let out a little panicked shout, eyes wide as she realized what happened.

A blink, and then she laughed. He laughed along with her, smiling at the infectious sound.

This was… comfortable. Very comfortable.

Perhaps awkward at first, but now that they were doing it, they felt silly that there was ever any worry put into the thought at all.

"How are you feeling?" Jaune asked, watching how her expression shifted with each movement as he began to thrust, his hands exploring every inch of her exposed flesh he could get a hold of. "I just, you know, don't want to be doing a bad job."

"Jaune, we've barely started," she giggled out. To assure him, she wrapped him into a hug and pulled him down. "You're doing fine, though. Keep going."

Encouraged by her words, Jaune began to thrust harder, to which she could only let out signs of contentment.

It felt right. So right that she couldn't help how her nails dug into his back, much like how  _ his _ had done her earlier. But Jaune didn't mind. It just meant he was doing the right thing.

Ruby's eyes closed as she let herself enjoy the moment, the feeling; her breathing grew labored.

"Keep going like that," she all but commanded. Her tone was soft as cotton, gentle. But she couldn't hide how amazing she was beginning to feel.

Nor could she hide how the pleasure was affecting her body.

As Jaune kept his pace, they both began to sweat. It was far more physically taxing than either had expected, but there was a fire that kept them from stopping. 

The fire started small, but quickly gained volume. Voluptuous and sensual, passionate beyond measure; the flame sprung to life violently, thrashing and flickering about, fed by the oxygen that pumped in and out of their lungs.

They had never felt so hot, so consumed by a feeling. It was similar to the release that had forced itself upon them in the library but ten times more dominating. There was no escape, there was no stopping.

The fire manifested deep within, from inside of their lungs, their stomachs, their hearts…

Each breath was like flame, each pant and gasp like the sweetest immolation to the other. Offerings to gods of love and devotion.

Ruby cried out, her mouth stuck open and unable to close as Jaune gave her his everything.

"Fuck, Jaune, I'm cumming," she cried, her legs wrapping around his waist, demanding that he keep pounding into her. But he had no intention of stopping. There was nothing, save for her own words, that could stop him from keeping on.

His hands squeezed extra tight, his hips rocking into her hers like a machine. Jaune groaned, gritting his teeth as sweat began to drop.

Ruby herself wasn't faring much better, her entire body giving way as she began to cum. Despite everything, her grip held strong. She shook, her jaw opening and closing as she gave up on trying to gain back control.

All she could do was ride it out, waiting for the maelstrom to settle. But Jaune definitely lengthened it with the way he refused to let up.

Eventually, it subsided. But not without leaving her drained, and breathing like she had just ran a marathon.

"Don't stop," Ruby whispered in his ear. "Don't stop. Keep going."

Jaune repositioned slightly, only responding with a grunt and a sharp exhale. But that was all that she needed. She had gotten hers, she just wanted him to get his.

Once upon a time, Jaune had admitted to her that he found it hot when she cursed. Something about the way she always filtered herself, how she refused to use curses in her normal everyday vocabulary; yet those very words she refused or ignored always somehow slipped out when her mind was foggy with lust and pleasure.

So she used that to her advantage, and encouraged him on in a way she knew would work wonders.

"Yes, that's it," she continued between pants. "Keep  _ fucking  _ me… it feels so  _ fucking  _ good!"

Jaune seemed to appreciate it. Or at least, she felt that he did, considering he was basically slamming into her now.

Just one word. One  _ bad _ word was all it took to get him going. Did she really have that much power over him? 

The thought was electrifying.

His cock was harder than before, that was certain. She found herself immediately falling back into pleasure, welcoming it with open arms. The exhaustion she felt not even a minute prior seemed to fade entirely as adrenaline surged through her body.

She understood how people could get addicted to this. It was a rush, pure and simple. But it was a  _ natural _ rush.

"Sh-shit, Ruby… I'm not too sure how much longer I can-" Jaune cut himself off, his lungs pleading for him to breathe and not talk.

"Th-then just do it, let yourself feel good!"

Of course, Jaune gave in to her words. In the moment, they made so much sense. That was why they were doing this, right? To feel good?

So he focused on just that. On the feeling of thrusting inside of Ruby, on the tightness of her walls squeezing every inch of him dry, on her fingertips leaving searing marks on his skin.

It was too much all at once, when he really focused on it all.

"C-cumming," he said between grit teeth, barely biting back a moan mixed with a groaning whine.

Ruby reached for him, placing a hand on his cheek as she leaned forward to capture his lips in a kiss. A kiss far deeper than any they had ever shared before.

Perhaps it was due to the pleasure they were both sharing in, but the kiss seemed alive with colors and held all the intensity of a lightning bolt. 

Their tongues crashed together like rival tidal waves during an oceanic storm, all the while Jaune's hips moved on auto-pilot.

And then suddenly, the lightning struck the ocean, lighting everything up in the most brilliant white.

Ruby came again, and this time her muscles seized in intense stillness, her entire body going tight like a coil spring being pushed all the way down, waiting to be released so it could bounce freely.

Jaune's toes curled as he came too, his fingers surely bruising Ruby's flesh from just how hard he was gripping. But it was, in the moment, the farthest thing from his mind.

He felt like he was going to pass out by the time they were done. And done they were, in far too short a time for the both of them.

They pulled away from the kiss as the waves calmed, and the lightning storm dissipated. The tempest cleared, leaving them shipwrecked on dry land, shivering slightly as air hit their sweaty, soaked skin.

Jaune collapsed next to Ruby, who couldn't even move a finger if she really tried.

For some time, they just lay there gazing up at the ceiling, letting their minds gather thoughts and their bodies rest.

Jaune discarded the condom and Ruby rolled into his side, seeking his warmth. He gladly accepted her, her hand finding a nice resting place atop his chest as she used his arm for a pillow.

It was some time before either spoke, but eventually, conversation broke. It was Ruby who spoke the first words.

"You weren't using it," she said. "Your Aura, I mean." She laughed a little, very vividly remembering the feeling of her nails against his skin. Directly. There was no annoying force field in the way.

She knew what hitting Aura felt like. But now she knew what it  _ didn't  _ feel like.

"Neither were you," Jaune replied, a smile on his face as he turned his head to face her. 

They just stared into one another's eyes for a moment before Ruby buried her face into his arm.

"Yeah." She smiled a very wide and happy smile, and though he couldn't see it, he could definitely feel it against him.

Silence took over, allowing them both to bathe in the afterglow of their most precious moment. The moment they would remember for the rest of their lives. Lives that would hopefully be spent together.

It was not something that could be guaranteed. Any number of things could happen.

But at the very least, they both knew now that they were willing to put the work in; and if you put work into something like that, that something would surely grow and adapt and become strong enough to weather any storm that was thrown its way.

They just needed to take it steady.

But before all of that…

"Jaune, I probably should have said this a while back… but it just never seemed like the best time to say it," Ruby began, sitting up on the bed. Jaune followed in her wake, not wanting to forfeit the warmth of having her so close to him. "If there was ever a better time than now… You probably already know." She shook her head, her eyes falling to her hands.

"I do," he replied. "But I wouldn't mind hearing you say it." He placed a hand on her shoulder in a show of support. She lit up at the gesture.

Funny, she thought, how such simple contact can make her feel so much more brave.

"Only if you say it back." She placed her left hand flat on her arm, taking a deep breath to clear any negative thoughts that might worm their way in.

He smiled, his hand gripping her shoulder just a tiny bit tighter. His eyes seemed so light, so full of affection. She knew he would say it back. She had understood that he felt the same for a while. But the non-verbal assurance was welcome. It would never not be.

"Right," she continued on. "I just, um…" She sighed. "Jaune, I-" She sighed again, this time out of frustration.

It was silly. So absolutely silly. After everything they had been through together, after everything they had  _ done. _

A kiss. A small kiss, chaste and to the point. It came and went, leaving her eyes closed and her chest full of an airy feeling. Her eyes fluttered open after a small moment, meeting his.

"Relax," was all he said.

She nodded, turning to look anywhere but directly into the blue eyes that made her feel so weak, and yet so infinitely strong.

It only took about fifteen seconds before she turned to him with a soft smile.

"I love you."

She gasped as she was suddenly pulled into a loving hug. She couldn't help but instantly wrap her own arms around him as well.

"I love you, too."

Ruby felt some sort of finality in the moment, as if a chapter of her life was coming to an end with those very words from his mouth. She knew, however, that it was the opposite that was true.

A chapter wasn't ending; a new chapter was just beginning.

Thoughts sped a million miles through her brain. So many that she couldn't keep control of them.

Thoughts about telling the others, about telling her dad. About what the future might just hold for the two of them.

She knew what she  _ wanted _ it to hold for them. But the future was always uncertain, so she decided to focus on the present. And the present called for-

"A shower. I need a shower."

Jaune laughed, pushing his face into her neck. He gave her a gentle kiss, his hands moving to her hips. Mostly just for the intimacy of the action.

"Mm, and I suppose you're going to drag me along with you instead of letting me pass out in bed?" He smiled, but he  _ was _ pretty tired.

"Jaune Arc, you're now my official boyfriend, and when I say I need a shower to my boyfriend specifically that means he has to come with me," she replied in a very matter-of-fact manner, pulling away from him to get up out of the bed and make her way to the bathroom.

"You know, we didn't actually make anything official." Jaune watched her walk to the door, his smile never leaving.

"I just did," she quipped lightheartedly, sending him a quick look back before entering the bathroom and leaving his view.

If there was one thing Jaune knew not to do, it was keep her waiting. So he got up off the bed with an exaggerated roll of the eyes.

He was looking forward to seeing exactly how different things were going to be from now on.


End file.
